


Love and The Force Know No Bounds

by XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX



Series: Reylo: The Ties that Bind [1]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Badass Rey, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Chaptered, Dark Side Rey, Elemental Magic, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Good Guys, Jedi Luke Skywalker, Learning the Force, Nature Versus Nurture, OTP Feels, Opposites Attract, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Redeemed Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, Role Reversal, Seduction to the Dark Side, Star-crossed, The Dark Side of the Force, The First Order Sucks, The Force, The Light Side of the Force, True Love, Young Ben Solo, Young Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 11:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20081779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX/pseuds/XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX
Summary: Love and The Know No BoundsXxXCauwenNestrielXxXSummary:Story takes place 6 weeks after the events of The Force Awakens. Rey is cultivating her force potential under the seasoned eye of Jedi Luke. Ren has been given a second chance to prove himself to Snoke.Will he succeed in finding and capturing Rey? Can she resist the dark temptation that Kylo represents, or will Kylo have to fight the light in Rey and himself? Struggle with morality, self and ancestry.





	1. Summonings and Teachings

Holograms are notorious for never doing their subjects justice, when it came to Snoke,this was most certainly true. Holograms were criticized for glossing over the finer details, and presenting an image that is altered to conceal emotional responses. Snoke was the thing of nightmares, as his face was so pale, one could almost peer through the layers of flesh and body to see the dark machinations of his twisted mind.His eyes were hollow at first glance, but in actuality had a calculating shine to the inner fold. His scars were like hungry mouths, daring onlookers to fall into their traps.

Shadows cascaded from his imperial figure and conquered whatever light it could find. The Supreme Leader breathed in darkness, and thrived in the shade. Ren couldn't help but shiver involuntarily when he was presented before Snoke in person. A malleable wall of anger swirled around Kylo as he came closer. The throne room was a glorious creation; with details provided from every artistic genius in the greater galaxy. Angular and sharp designs kept every visitor on edge, including Kylo.

The Supreme Leader turned to face his apprentice."Kylo .We have much to discuss."

Ren was rather surprised at the indifference woven into the greeting issued by his master, as he was expecting an immediate scolding for his shameful failures. Worst of which, was his utter defeat at the hands of that was her name? Oh, yes. Rey.

She could change her name, but he would forever know her as something that had bested him, and pointed out all of his weaknesses. For someone so delicate looking, she had an inner cunningness, which rivaled that of the Supreme Leader himself.

"Yes,my master. I understand that my shortcomings have hindered our plans tenfold. I am here to take full responsibility for my actions. I seek to regain your favor in order to complete my training. What does my master command of me?'

Kylo knelt down to both knees in a show of loyalty and surrender to the wills of his master. The punishment would be harsh, but he was prepared for any level of severity as he had proven himself deserving of such discipline.

"My apprentice, your failures are invalid. I have summoned you for the purpose of continuing your tutelage. Your defeats of are indeed disdainful, but if you succeed where you have failed before, I may consider letting such transgressions remain in the past."

Kylo was astonished. Leniency was unheard of when Snoke was issuing his decisions. His swift and decisive rulings were part of why he was so popular, among the First Order, as he wasn't one of for theatrics. Efficiency was the utter foundation of the First Order,and every one who served took pride in how their leader epitomized such values. This situation could work to Ren's advantage as this could certify Snoke's favor for Kylo. He also wouldn't mind if he could make Hux look like the fool he tried to hide under his excessive military issued robes.

"May I inquire what your will is? I will do anything to prove that I am worthy of your attention and teachings."Kylo meant every word he said.

"Such eagerness is noted, but you would be foolish to let such anticipation cloud your judgment. Emotions can propel the force, but it is up to our minds to make it do our bidding, I order you to retrieve this girl, and bring her to me. I have uses for her, and they cannot be ignored."

Kylo felt a sudden wave of apprehension and fear. His master could just be using him as a conduit to procure a more suitable student, and dispose of him when his usefulness ran dry. Was his father right? Was he just a means to an end?Curses! Such thoughts were the reason that he had failed in the first place. He would not fail his master this time, and in doing so he would show his master his worth. He could taste the triumph, and feel the gratitude that his master would bequeath upon him.

"My master, I swear to you, I will never again allow my inner sentiments to take hold. I am worthy of being your apprentice. The First Order and its position in the galaxy are paramount to me. It is my duty, and I intend on seeing my duty through. Where do you suggest I start?"

"I sense much conflict stirring within the depths of your mind. If I can sense such things with such lack of effort, then trust that the girl will be able to as well, for her power already rivals your own. I recommend you use such a reminder as fuel to succeed in your task. I do not foresee this being easy, and consider this as your guidance. Search your feelings, and the information you need to start will come to you. I will offer no further counsel. I have already said too much. Remain aware that the stakes are high. I will not tolerate failure again."

\---

———

R2-D2 had bested Chewbacca in 40 rounds of dejarik and the wookie was verging on a temper tantrum. For the past few weeks the Millennium Falcon had become home to her. Luke had insisted that Rey come and stay with him in his rugged camp on the outer reaches of the temple ruins, and it wasn't that Rey was against roughing it, it was just that she had already been through so much. The ship had truly become home. She inexplicably drawn to a certain compartment, and she couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt as if it was a person and they were calling her into their open arms. She shook her head as if she were trying to push such thoughts through her ears and into the air. From the looks of it, it was just about time to meet the old man. He was so was just familiar that she couldn't shake the idea that she had met the benevolent teacher in her rather lame past.

Her comm buzzed to alert her that Luke was requesting her presence, and so she rose from the chair she was currently occupying while watching the dejarik matches. She was unsure as to why Luke insisted on avoiding the ship, but Rey had an inkling that the memories associated with the ship, and by extension Han and Kylo, were too painful for the Jedi to face after all of the loss he had suffered. Her master had been adamant that he was fine, but she could see through his defenses with relative ease. He was hurting, and even a glance at the ship would bring about a wince and a few stray tears for the loss of his former best friend. Han’s death was still fresh for Luke, and such a reminder of the life his friend left behind wasn't an easy thing to stomach so soon.

Rey hurried from the crew common area and directed the doors to open. As soon as there was enough room for Rey to squeeze through she squished through the two metal surfaces. The sun greeted Rey with a joyful shine and filled her with a feeling of excitement for the day to come. She honed in on her could surroundings and could detect the Force permeating every aspect of the environment, from the shape of the rocks, the gentle ripple of the wind, to the overwhelming blanket of calm. Things couldn't be so tranquil by any ordinary means. Therefore, the Force was responsible.

Luke was admiring the swells of the gentle ocean. Rey smiled to herself as this was quite similar to the first time she met him. He faced her and greeted her with a grin as warm as the sunlight itself.

"Good morning Rey,I trust you had a good night’s rest for we have a busy day ahead of us including your favorite:lightsabers.I must admit it has always been the most enjoyable aspect of training for me as well, but sadly my well worn body isn't what it used to be, so go easy on this old man."

"I find your humility endearing but from the number of times it has ended up with me on my behind and you with a saber at my throat, I have found your self criticism rather empty.'

This system of joking that Rey and Luke had developed was of great service to the both of them, as it offered a much needed sense of lightness to the overwhelming shadow that loomed elsewhere in the galaxy.

"Well let’s put your words to the test. Get my lightsaber ready and prepare to be amazed."

"How many times must I remind you that this is my lightsaber?You already have a snazzy blade. Speaking of snazz,I have only come across red,blue,and green lightsabers, are there no other colors? I would really like to see a purple blade, or even a yellow."

"Now that is a question I have asked myself for countless years. It is quite boring isn't it? I have come across evidence that once there was a vast amount of saber colors, but due to the lack of Jedi I really couldn't tell you one way or another. Are we going to spar, or would you prefer to just run your mouth all morning?'

"I guess sparring will have to do for now."

Luke positioned himself with his feet spread apart wide enough to balance out his weight. He made the first move, by bringing his weapon down in a sharp slant downward. Rey jumped back in surprise, and narrowly avoided the beam of laser. She huffed in annoyance and spun around in order to catch her teacher off guard, but his years of experience prove easily better. He blocked her sloppy blow, and drove her weapon to the ground. He paused to wait for her to gather herself, and immediately dove right back into the rhythm of the fight.

"You fought well today; came close to besting me the last time we fought."

"If you call me nearly falling from a twenty story cliff progress then I will take it. Your technique is absolutely amazing; I can barely keep up with you when you begin to move. It truly is a sight to behold. You tell me that combat has always been your favorite form of training, but I cannot help but feel that this is false, I am getting the impression that at least as of now, Force study is where your true love lies."

"Very perceptive young one, you would be correct. I have discovered that scholarly pursuits are rather appealing to an old man. One can never get tired of the mystery surrounding the ways of the Force."

"Luke, what do you know of Force Visions? Every night I have been seeing something, but I can never remember what I saw. I know that they are important, but I cannot tell what they are trying to say, if I have no recollection."

"I am very familiar with the happenings of future,past;or present. Force visions is one of the Force powers that has come very naturally to me. Tell me of these dreams."

Rey hesitated to divulge the information. Every experience Rey had with such visions were hard to speak of, as they were quite disturbing, and having been alone her entire life, she wasn't ready to entrust her innermost thoughts so Luke.

"Luke, I really appreciate the concern, and if the dreams get worse I promise to let you know. This isn't easy for me. I have never had someone who was genuinely concerned about me before"

"Of course. I am sorry for pushing. I can understand what you are going through, and how difficult it can be to open up. I can give you all of the time you need."

Luke turned to examine the state of the sky. Tails of mauve and peach chased each other across the horizon to form a ribbon of light. Night was sure to fall soon, and Rey had been battling grogginess since late afternoon. Luke's eyes flew to study Rey as she let out a tremendous yawn. He smiled once more, and nodded his head.

"I think that it is time to call it night. These old bones need a rest, and if your yawns grow any louder, you might cause an avalanche."

"Alright, good night master."

"Good night Rey."

\---

Rey offered a slight bow and turned to head in the direction of the Millennium Falcon. The door was already open as if Chewie was expecting Rey's arrival. The wookie may be able to make storm troopers cower in their boots, but his heart was as gentle as the evening breeze. He was busy operating on the innards of the ship, and acknowledged Rey with a fleeting glance and a guttural rush of air.

———

Rey began to head in the direction of where she slept every night, when she felt a tug leading the opposite way. The tug was initially nonexistent, but it grew more potent by the second, and soon had Rey moving her feet. Despite her protests, and efforts to reach for something to anchor her to the ground, the pull proved superior. The invisible cord drug Rey through the hallways of the vessel, and lead her to a long ago abandoned storage room.

Standing underneath the veil of an emergency light was the menacing figure of Kylo Ren.


	2. Summonings and Teachings

The once intense blanket of heat had receded back to the very place from which it came. Pillars of fire slowly dwindled and dissipated into brilliant gems carried away by invisible currents. Mounds of charcoal lay dying a peaceful death as their once pulsating canals began to drain away. Luke sat by himself admiring the simplicity of a dying fire. Rey had left a while ago, and his vision was blurring around the corners due to sleepiness.

The grave Jedi Master hadn't been sleeping much as dreams of Han stomped around his subconscious. He could feel the defeat that his brother-in law must have felt when he was stabbed through the heart by his only son. He watched the life drain from his friend's face and eyes, searching for a world less bitter than the one they had just left. Han's fall was perpetual, as Luke was meant to forever watch his best friend plummet to certain death. Luke would then look down to find the same lightsaber in the center of his stomach; completely undoing the complex patchwork that was the human body. The wielder of the weapon was the masked fiend that had murdered his own father:Kylo Ren.

Luke rose to head to his home, taking careful steps among the minefield of rocks. The blurry outline of his camp grew closer when a rush of ice surrounded Luke's head. Metal clamps bit into his skull and froze all coherent thought. Only one thing made it through the unwavering barriers: his former apprentice was on this very mountain. If only he could loosen the steel teeth a fraction, he might be able to sense what was happening.

His teeth ground together as he battled against the mental restraints that Kylo had imposed upon him. His former student was a prodigy when it came to screwing with one's mind. After a significant effort, Luke was able to break through Ren's hold.

Luke's sense of urgency increased as he felt Rey's cry for help through the force. The sense of paralysis that had fallen upon Rey was so strong, that it almost crawled through the echo and snaked itself around Luke's body. Deciding that running would take too much time, Luke decided to "lightning rod."

The sturdy feel of the floor beneath Luke's feet alerted him to the fact that he was on the Millennium Falcon once more.

Peering around to study his surroundings, the dejarik game board, refreshment table in the corner, and the hint of familiarity told him that he had arrived in the common area for recreation. A choked scream tore away the calm, and gave Luke the information he needed as to where Ren was. Bolting through the adjoining hallway, he almost ran into Rey.

Ren's hold over Rey snapped as his attention drew to the arrival of his forsaken master. Before he could utter a single word, Rey had Ren pinned to the ground with her lightsaber to his neck. The look upon herself was one of pure disgust. "What the hell are you doing here? Have you come to finish the job, or am I just another name to add to your list of kills?" Kylo remained silent, only making Rey even angrier. "Well which is it? Giving me the silent treatment certainly isn't goig to give you any favors. What are you doing here?" The blade had shifted lower than Rey intended and began to burn the skin beneath.

"Rey! That is enough! Let him go!" Rey had never looked so astonished.

"Why would we let him go? He is a monster! For all we know, he has come to kill you. That would certainly be ironic, killing your own uncle over the very soil that he tried to help you. Well, I will not let that happen."

Ren only offered a sinister smile that made it seem as if he had planned the entire thing this way.

"Rey, I will not ask again. Drop the lightsaber now! I entrusted that weapon to you, to defend the light. Do not make me regret that."

Rey looked down at her hands and felt a sudden wave of nausea. What was she doing? She hated Kylo Ren; that was certain, but she was not going to throw everything away before it had even begun. Luke's pleading eyes gave her the resolve she needed to walk away from that scary line.

Rey disengaged her weapon and tucked it back into her belt. "You make one move, and I will not hesitate." Ren only responded with a cheerful hum. Rey removed herself from Ren's figure and backed away hesitantly.

Ren got up and dusted himself up like he had been rolling around in garbage. He turned and inspected the cargo hold.

"I see this place hasn't changed one speck. The hole that I inflicted upon that wall with my first lightsaber is still there. How sentimental."

"Ben, what are you doing here?" Luke suddenly sounded exhausted.

"Must I tell everyone; do not call me that!"

Ren writhed in anger and lashed out in the direction of Rey. Fortunately, Rey was prepared and shielded herself from the telekinetic wall he threw at her.

"Fine, Ren. What is it that you want?" Ren faced his uncle once more.

"I want the girl. Or more accurately Supreme Leader Snoke finds himself in need of this wretch's talents. I have come to retrieve her."

Luke was repulsed by the way that his nephew regarded Rey as a mere object.

"Her name is Rey, and you will not take her. Kylo, I am giving you a chance, walk away. The light side has always welcomed you. I can promise you, that will always be true. Nothing has changed"

"But I have. You and my father are truly blind. I have spent countless hours conditioning myself to reject such pleadings. They have fallen upon deaf ears. Very well. I find myself looking forward to displaying how my master has succeeded where you failed. The dark side has made me more powerful than even you."

"Only in your head. I do not regret what has happened to you. Only that I failed your father. I hope that he is not watching you now. For it he is I can assure you, you would even have stolen his peace in death." Luke watched his nephew struggle to stay true to his convictions. Maybe. Just maybe he hadn't failed his best friend. "Ben, you forget; the two of us are connected. That means, I feel what you feel, and I feel the light."

"You truly are relentless. You would even sink so low to invade your nephew's head. I will be satisfied once I remove yours. A head for a head."

Luke glanced at Rey, "Run, find the others and get them away from here. His hold them should be broken. This is between me and Ren."

Kylo made a move to grab Rey as she started for the door, but found his path obstructed by a green blade. The blade that he had once cherished and looked upon in wonder, was now taunting him.

Ren flew at Luke, who parried the messy attack. Luke threw his blade using the Force and maneuvered it towards Ren. Kylo easily blocked the weapon and knocked it off course. He reached for the saber, but was beat to the punch by his uncle. Luke made quick work of obtaining his weapon, and was immediately forced on the defense as Ren slashed at his midsection. The fight waged on for several minutes. When Kylo swung, Luke caught the lightsaber with his free hand, and pushed it away as if it were a pesky insect. Kylo stood dumbfounded, which gave the Luke the opening he needed. "You will be redeemed. If I must die to see this realized, so be it. But, today is not that day."

Luke bunched his hands together, and once he released them outward, Ren had been sent back to where he had come from.

———

Kylo landed hard on his knees, and groaned. He had been thwarted once again. Luke was still stronger than him, and Kylo hated him for that. He would end his uncle, and finally see the last of the Jedi wither. He would only have to buy his time. The confrontation had gone just as planned; as Rey had dropped all defenses and charged him with all of her might, which would have allowed for him to incapacitate her if he could have only caught her off guard. His mind manipulation was lacking, and he could only blame himself for that. He had underestimated Rey once again. The girl certainly had a special talent for pushing his buttons. Pursuing her might prove to be rather enjoyable as he foresaw the two of them making a game out of it. If only the girl knew the true extent of her powers. The idea of her unleashing her might on her master, was not only satisfying, but very attractive. He would find a way to reach that side of her. Already she had shown that she was capable of hate, although it was for him, it was a start. Turning her himself would guarantee his return to his master's good graces, and he would be the one responsible for denying the Resistance two invaluable allies.

The only challenge would be convincing Rey of the futility rooted in the Light Side, but he had a few things in mind to persuade her.

———

Rey found Luke sitting with his head in his hands. Chewbacca had insisted on evaluating any possible damages that the ship may have sustained. Combined efforts from Rey and R2 had both proved in vain, so Rey decided to let Chewbacca do what he must. R2 was apparently displeased by his master's grave posture and took it upon himself to shake Luke out of his contemplations. Following repeated times that R2 drove himself directly into Luke's knee caps, Luke looked up from whatever thoughts had occupied his vision. Luke gave a small grin, and placed a loving hand on R2's dome.

"Thank you buddy. I can always count on you to beat me into attention. May I recommend other options of getting my attention than those which might irreparably damage my joints. I am not as indestructible as I once was."

R2 was obviously pleased with himself and didn't hide it. In fact, he made a point of letting out a set of whistles reserved for bragging alone. Rey chuckled and whispered to him in binary. The droid acquiesced and went to find the wookie in order to assist him.

Rey approached Luke with apprehension at her feet like quick sand.

"Rey, you can come here. I need to talk to you anyways."

Once Rey had come into conversational distance, Luke continued, "You had a close call."

Rey's face fell, and she radiated shame.

"Master I know. I am so sorry. I cannot express how disappointed I am in myself."

Luke mimicked his sign of affection previously done to R2-D2. Rey shuddered underneath his hand on her shoulder, and began to sob. She launched herself into Luke's arms. Her master was ready for such things, and welcomed her with gusto. "Master, it was dreadful. I cannot begin to describe how it felt. I just wish I had done things differently."

Luke nodded in understanding, "We all do. We cannot fix what has already happened, but we can learn and grow."

Rey looked shocked with Luke's honest response. "You are saying that you have felt this before too?"

"Yes I am. I was slightly older than you, and had been presented before the Emperor for the first and last time. He stripped me of all calm, and came very close to corrupting me by threatening the lives of my loved ones. I was dueling my father, Darth Vader, and I accessed the dark side. I became so furious that I lost control, and I wanted to just break my father. It was Darth Vader's sacrifice that taught me the beauty of the light. And the utter cruelty of the Emperor that solidified my rejection of the dark side."

"You met Emperor Palpatine?"

"And felt his wrath literally. I was close to being electrocuted by him. Let me just say, his lightning certainly packs a punch, and if anybody questions that; tell them that Luke Skywalker told you that himself."

"Wow, I couldn't imagine what that must have felt like."

"Trust me it wasn't fun, but hopefully you will never have to go through what I did. I understand what you went felt, and I do not hold anything against you. If you ever feel yourself slipping, just let me know. You can trust me." Rey smiled sadly and hugged her master once again. She unwittingly let out a monstrous yawn garnering a laugh from Luke. "Well nothing like a heated confrontation finishes off a night like that. I don't know about you, but I feel confident that tonight is the night that I get a full night's sleep for the first time in ages." Rey stood up and nodded. "I have much to ponder Master. Good night for real now." "Good night for real Rey. I am proud of you."

After Luke had left, Rey headed to her quarters. She went to climb into her bunk, but she couldn't relax. The image of Kylo and his smile wouldn't leave her. In a way, he wasn't that bad looking. And something about him was different. She may hate Kylo, but she really didn't know Ben. Maybe there was hope to return him to his family and the light. She groaned. It really was time for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is chapter 2! Thank you so much! I know it is very cliché, but fight scenes really are a pain to write. I hope you enjoy it. Next chapter Rey continues her training, and learns about her past. And Kylo goes all mushy on us. I promise that he won't loose his coolness though! I hope that Rey flying off the handle wasn't too out of character, but she hadn't gotten a chance to blow off some steam and admit her anger at Ren, so she lashed out. Well, thank you! 
> 
> Comment if you'd like!


	3. Memories and Her

Lightsabers clashed and hummed. A pair of eyes couldn't be drawn away from the spectacle in front of them. The owner to the eyes wanted to join in. She was yet to build her own lightsaber, so she was relegated to wasting her time with practice blades forged from wood; or if she was lucky a dull vibroblade. At least the vibroblade, had seen more action than she had. Maybe if she could beat Saylo in a duel, that good-for nothing Zabrak would leave her alone. He always teased her about her heritage. If she made a mistake, Saylo just had to make things worse, by announcing it to everyone.

The only person, who could see through Saylo's machinations, was currently very preoccupied. Thankfully, Master Luke had caught wind of Saylo's latest plot, to rig her BB-8 unit to explode. He was on archive organizing duty. She couldn't say she felt pity for the Zabrak, as he tried to destroy her best friend, and first droid. She had lost 3 inches of hair, and a pair of good robes, but it was worth it to see the Zabrak admit defeat in front of the master himself. If the Zabrak's horns descended any further, they would scrape the ground below them. Right now, Saylo wasn't there to interfere in her study of light saber combat. The rapid strikes and counter-strikes of the blades was enough to draw her away from the glorious thought that Saylo was missing an incredible duel. The two best duelists of the academy were going at each other's throats.

Ben flew at Padme in a maelstrom of yellow pillars. Padme was trying so very hard to refrain from breaking her act, but her cousin was just so damn annoying. He walked around as if he were the next Grandmaster in the making, just because he was the oldest, and flaunted it with everything he was worth. Her father had defended his nephew, with a few light chuckles and a rolling of the eyes here and there, but he dismissed it like it was just another youngling stealing Kashyykk bites from the provisions center. If only she could put him in his place, then he might stop behaving like a pompous Ewok butt. Disregarding her father's ludicrous warnings, Padme stepped on Ben's foot and elbowed him in the nose. She smiled to herself, as she had finally proven the mighty Ben Solo was human after all.

Expecting a humble surrender, Padme was horrified to see Ben look her way with a glare as frosty as the snowy oceans of Hoth. She recoiled slightly at the menace that rang from Ben's narrowed eyes, and backed away, her motions were hindered, as he chained her in a force bind. This was so unlike him; how could he do this to her? They were family. The idea of a fellow apprentice incapacitating a peer with the Force was frightening, and here she was in that exact situation. The pressure around her throat intensified, and began to squeeze. Ben looked almost pleased at the pain he was causing. Ben's sudden change of character was too much. Padme had enough of placating her cousin's petty delusions. The chokehold shattered as soon as she blinked, and his lightsaber soared from its resting place in her cousin's hands and into her own. She disengaged the weapon, and with a wave of her hand, her cousin fell sound asleep.

"Younglings, go find something productive today. The fight is over."

The conglomeration of varying species, sighed in disappointment and broke away from the field of younglings. Padme turned to ascertain that Ben was still asleep, and walked away to notify her father of her cousin's actions. She blew a renegade blonde hair from her eyes and stomped forward. The women in the Skywalker family always had to clean up the men's colossal size messes. Before she dipped through the doorway, she cast one more glance at her cousin and spotted a miniature figure leaning over him, and healing his scrapes. If only the girl wasn't so naïve, her little heart wouldn't break.

———

The pebbles hit their intended mark. He was hiding from his uncle behind the barrier imposed by the shrine to Anakin Skywalker. She could always trust him to come to this spot, when he found himself in a sticky situation. She theorized that the sculpture of his grandfather with a fierce tint to his stone eyes offered Ben a sense of comfort and pride, as those were his grandfather's eyes. This was the closest Ben would ever get to Anakin Skywalker, as his ashes were stowed away in some fortified stronghold, and he never lived to meet his first grandchild.

She could read in between the lines, and the fact that he was so close to Anakin, and yet so far wore on his trademark smirk. In other words, his eyes always failed to register what was happening in front of him; instead seeing an entirely different world. He was completely entranced by the riches that the distant land supplied. His faraway gaze was part of the reason she was so drawn to him, as no one understood what it was like to live another life. Having a new identity that she could assume whenever she needed, Ben's was much more involuntary than hers.

Obviously, he let her hit her target, but Ben Solo was no push over. Look at him the wrong way, and you could end up forgetting your very name. Ben did have a talent for messing with people's heads. Ben was the temple Casanova, but that didn't mean he find it fun to scramble a girl's emotions up. Apparently, Ben had inherited his attractiveness from his father, Han Solo. His hair was always perfect, and his smile could charm the pants off of anyone. Figuratively speaking of course. She had even heard that he was more attractive than his father. The pigment that remained obscured in her cheeks, reserved for the rarest of occasions, began to wake from its hibernation. Ben cocked his head, and she managed to force the blush the below the surface one more. "You know; I really could use some alone time. I know that the idea of being without me is impossible, but why don't you prove the impossible to be possible right about now." She stuck out her tongue, and pinched him on the ear. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily. As your Padawan in training I cannot shirk off my duties. Strictly speaking it wouldn't be right for me to let you sulk behind a dead guy."

"I am not sulking."

"Not from where I am standing."

"You're supposed to be at combat instruction. Your favorite, I would know as you've told me so many times. Why aren't you there and pestering Sword Master Zhourelbacca?"

She ducked her head, and swirled the twigs littering the grass.

"Well at first he offered to teach me Shyriiwook, but he was so offered by the noises I made he banned me from the class. At least he said I was beyond the class anyways, so there is an upside." Ben accepted the small grin she warranted, and traded much larger one back.

"Well I guess getting rid of you isn't entirely necessary, so you can stay, although I am going to regret this later."

She set him in a mighty chokehold, and he returned the hug. He could always lean on his little sidekick when he needed support.

———

She was in her favorite corner of the star ship hangar, right behind the x-wing that Luke flew on all of his most infamous adventures. That battered, and chipped vessel had been to Dagobah, Yavin IV, Bespin, and even the home planet of the master himself, Tantooine. If she was lucky, and no one was looking; she would hoist herself into the cockpit, and snuggle into the tattered pilot's chair. Next she would veil her head in an old Rebel Alliance pilot helmet with the sandstone visors scattered with little scratches, and the faded insignia of the squadron that Luke flew in.

Maybe one day she would get to fly away in a sleek and shiny ship, which would have its own tales to tell. Not being able to help herself, she reached for the throttle, and clutched it with every pent up fantasy and dream she contained. The throttle responded by jerking around at erratic angles. Panic began to coat her muscles. This wasn't supposed to happen, the ship hadn't been touched by anyone except Luke, and even then it was just for an inter-atmospheric joy ride when too many younglings set his robes on fire. Not wanting to be caught, and become one of those younglings she went to crawl out of the confined space, when the previous slack and lifeless binds, began to slither around her, therefore pinning her to the chair. The visor caved in and began to shed the lacerations that compromised the visibility. The now pristine goggles, covered her entire face. The smooth layer maintained its immaculate shape, even when she began screaming for help.

The odor of decomposing flesh, and charred skin chained itself to her nose, and flooded into her mind. The new ghastly stench was accompanied by a rather monstrous face. What appeared to be a human skull partially bought back to life, began shifting its chasm of a mouth, as if it were engaging in speech. Once the beating of her own heart subsided, the creature's words became audible. "Do not be frightened. I am your future, as I am your past and present. You are a cavity. An anomaly. Despite your modest heritage, you have the makings of a goddess. Soon, an agent of mine will reign terror down on that so called school you are being held in. He will spirit you away, and store you until your usefulness becomes apparent. Now sleep my child. The future, will offer little of such luxuries. I am your true master."

Finally, she could scream. The monster had taken her voice away. Well now she was free. Ben woke to her cutting cries. The originally serene day, had been traded in for a vengeful one. The wind whipped back and forth, and whined. The nearby trees bloomed into blossoms of radiant light, and the sun and moon chased each other across the cosmos. She was writhing on the floor, screaming through all of the mayhem. He shook her for several stifling moments. He was about to pick her up and run for the compound when her eyes flew open. One look at the chaos, and everything had reverted back. The trees now boasted lustrous green jewels, the Moon and Sun reached a compromise, and the wind faded out of existence.

He could not believe that someone so young could hold such raw power. The entire environment was attached to her emotions. He remembered the day she was born. Exactly five years ago, the world was met with the cries of the baby girl, and shook with joy. Brown plants surrendered to the immediate spring, the Sun shown down with gusto, and Ben was washed over with a feeling of pure peace, and childish happiness.

But now things were different, and much direr.

"He looked down at her, "He's spoken to you too?"

She nodded with such apprehension; she feared the world might swallow her whole if she admitted the truth.

"Yes."

———

The sand was blistering, and little tongues of flame attacked her feet encouraging her to jump. The strands of spray reached for her, and the most ambitious grazed her skin. She had never been swimming before, as living on a giant ball of sand wasn't conducive to twisting and turning through large bodies of water. The only water she actually knew of, was the giant cauldron used to rehydrate the beasts of her fellow scavengers. When Finn disclosed the taste, and experience, she was appalled, yet amused. Finn. She missed him. If only he were here, he would throw all caution to the wind, and await his fate in the arms of the sea. Well, she might as well do the same. If only Chewie were willing to join her, but the suborn Wookie insisted her would join her. Fat chance.

Whatever, more water to her. The wind extended its hands out too push her down, only making her descent that much more thrilling. As she struck the water, the only thought she could make was that next time she wouldn't start from so high up. No one ever told her than water could hurt. No matter, she was going to swim for the first time, and nothing was going to stop her.


	4. Tranquility and Strain

Ribbons of water cascaded around Rey's submerged figure and carried her below the gentle swells. At first she was terrified of what it would feel like to swim. She had lived in a desert for 14 years, and the only waves she could recall were dunes of pebbles and beige grains that could set the heartiest individual to their knees if they so dared to scale it. These waves were gentle, and negated any effect the gravity had on dry land. Rey felt as if her limbs grew exponentially as the smallest of gestures would send the water around her reeling.

She discovered that if she moved her arms with enough force a small wave would plaster her arms and move in the same direction. To her utter disappointment she found herself unable to float unaided, but she concluded that she would find a way around that soon enough. And the solution came as an utter accident. She was sinking lower and lower to examine the clear pearls that escaped from her nose in quick succession due to air release, and due to momentary distraction, the bubbles merged together into a compact shape.

The bubbles unwittingly approached Rey and poised itself below Rey, and she gradually raised through the glassy layers and broke the final edge damaging the pristine rifts and gullies of the still surface. The makeshift raft hefted Rey's figure up entirely and permitted her to just caress the water with her body, as she floated along to the fluctuating levels that passed in a rhythm resembling her heart beat. Somehow Rey felt as if she had been an avid swimmer and lover of water in a past life perhaps.

———

The shadows darted away from Ren's shrouded figure as he ascended the final steps that acted a a barrier between his personal well being and the imperial might of his master. Presently Snoke was engaged in a deep meditative induced slumber, and Ren was risking his own neck by denying his master the clarity and recharge that mediation wrought. Ren halted a few paces away in what he considered a somewhat safe distance which would hopefully grant enough space for Kylo to erect a force barrier if push came to shove. It was nigh impossible to interrupt Snoke's pontifications without being burned for it. Partially why Kylo donned such an extensive and dark garb was to shield the eyes of his enemies from a possible weakness.

Singe marks and compromised flesh signified a past injury or inability to protect oneself from bodily harm. His burns screamed vulnerability in more way than one as well. The reason being Kylo's scars was another story entirely. An apprentice of his lineage and strength in the Force should find it inconsequential if his master's frustrations flared outwards and sought a target on which to inflict its whim. 

But alas, Kylo was currently incapable of completely negating his master's onslaught which only furthered the damage carved on to his body by tongues of flame or spindles of lightning. So that was where the force field came in. Ren's frustration had reached a fever pitch. Snoke had taken an augmented sense of purpose when chastising his meager acolyte, and Ren steeled himself to put his mettle to the test. Snoke's sinewy flesh wavered and wrinkled in acknowledgement when Ren mounted the last valley between him and the frozen silhouette of Snoke

While Kylo cleared his throat, he mustered up all of the anticipation that had driven him to this exact point in the past few days of endless pacing and crooked backs weighed down by the stone of uncertainty.

Any blemishes of hesitancy or unpreparedness retreated from Ren's face as their superior features of confidence and purpose colonized the remote angles of the farthest degree. Kylo's voice carried from his throat in a powerful delivery that swept through the remaining gap between him and Snoke. The acknowledgment that Kylo bid had already registered within the available corners of Snoke's psyche, and the fabric of his force hibernation crumpled inward to display his apprentice in front of him. Snoke indulged in a momentary high of the euphoria that accompanied his meditation periods, and shoved away the lingering distractions to hear Kylo out. Snoke felt his jaw become taut as he waited for his apprentice to stop start speaking.

Snoke lifted his hand in a surprisingly fluid manner, which was uncharacteristic of his gaunt and sharp ligaments that only seemed capable of performing crooked or jerky movements, and signaled for Kylo to relay the briefing that he had compiled of his search for the elusive Rey. Ren titled his head a fraction of a degree and immediately recited his findings, "Master I have uncovered in my hours of contemplation and focus that I have somehow erected a link of sorts with this Rey girl. Its nature is one that seems beyond my comprehension and I have called to your audience, in order to seek and procure information on what this link is, and how to exploit it to benefit our endeavors. If it were not of the utmost urgency and relevance, I would have refrained from barging in and rudely interrupting your personal renewal, but seeing as time is of the essence, this cannot be stalled for the sake of a few hours of an illusion of peace. We will only find true peace once all of our foes have been eliminated and we have established our will upon the Galaxy."

As soon as Kylo finished enunciating the last phrase of his dissertation he involuntarily stuttered as the presumptuous edge to his claim would most certainly anger Snoke, and was not befitting of his lowly apprentice status. Ren burned the imperativeness of subservience into his mind to not make the same mistake again, or it may not only cost him his station, but his life as well. Snoke frowned severely, and the hollows of his leathery cheeks receded to reveal a set of teeth comprised solely of incisors that would put the edge of a white flame to shame. Ren had overstepped a bound that opened the door to perilous uncharted territory. 

Ren was garnering more pride by the day as his powers grew, and his limits were exceeded, and Snoke refused to admit that his apprentice was now a potentially viable threat to his chokehold on his Empire. Despite the accelerated progress that Ren had shown, his arrogance was the key to keeping a tight leash on the threat that he presented. Any descendant of Anakin Skywalker would undoubtedly inherit an immense pool of potential to draw from, which made them superb servants, but that pool was also electrically charged, and if fed an excess of energy, it would race across every stream and water molecule until the entire pool was converted into a web of charged limbs and snapping fingers. The electricity once sated would seek other sources of pleasure which would become the surrounding objects and sensations. Ren's power was a contained electrical storm, and he was only now scraping the surface.

"Ren it would be wise of you to remember to who you speak, and consequently serve. I was the catalyst for your power, and I can just as easily drain it from you to replenish my own stores. Your so-called feats are not worthy of hubris, and this will only solidify your failure as a Sith Lord. You will go down in history as another blow to your Vader's already tarnished legacy." Snoke had forced Kylo to his knees in order to reassert his authority. The mention of Vader lacerated any bounds that Snoke had laced around Kylo's kneeling form, and he erupted in a frenzy of energy, his lightsaber drawn. "You know nothing of my grandfather. He was the greatest force user alive, and I will be the one that perpetrates his legacy. I will continue what he has started, and I will pick up the pieces that my Uncle and Mother left when they turned their back on their father. Being a true Skywalker means power. I am the last true Skywalker, and you most of all will cower before me if you ever question my resolve again." A repulse of purple energy protruded from Kylo's chest and struck Snoke with crystallized edges of pure diamond.

The blades inserted themselves into the shallow pockets of Snoke's burnt flesh and slithered across in a complete circle to harden into amethyst ice. Snoke screamed in agony and writhed around in his throne to try and nullify the overwhelming torture. His dagger like nails clawed at the crystal patches and the opposite of the intended effect transpired. The crystals propagated onto his fingers and hand which only added to the debilitating pain. Kylo smirked in pleasure, and bowed in faux respect. With one final glance at the destruction that he had wrought, Kylo scaled the platform and headed in the direction of his Flag ship to pay a visit to his deceased grandmother's home.

———

Luke hunched over his mechanical extremity, which was currently rendered useless as it sat poised on the work bench before him with the circuits and wires exposed. He had just retrieved a miniature welder to repair some minor damage that he had suffered during a rather intense spar with Rey when she appeared through the curtain that functioned as a makeshift entrance.

His annoyance was reaching a fever pitch not only because the metal alloys were refusing to bond again, but R2 was rolling haphazardly around the work shop and went out of his way to bump into inventions that had taken Luke years to realize and roll over them, in order to place a noticeable dent in the exterior but not in the actual innards of the machines. "R2 I am a parsec away from shutting you down, you are being worse than 3P0 right now and I never thought that would come from my lips. We aren't on Tatooine, neither am I 19 anymore, so I cannot keep up with you like I used to. I am also short a limb so shoving you is out of the question. Quit it out." In protest, R2 lifted one of his many utility panels and directed a quart of oil at Luke, soiling his robes. Rey startled Luke further as she chuckled loudly. "I am sensing some hostility between the two of you. Maybe I can mediate.

What seems to be awry between droid and master?" "It is nothing to concern yourself young padawan, R2 just seems to be rather temperamental right now, and his idea of entertainment is prohibiting the maintenance of my arm. I would oblige, but it gets quite breezy if my arm is left exposed to the bitter cold of this tropical paradise." Rey rolled her eyes and huffed. "How many times have I asked you to call me by my name? I am 19 years old, the same age you were when you blew up an entire battle station striking a blow at the Empire. I think I deserve to be called by the title of my own choice."

"I see the parallels, but seeing as I am the lawful owner of not only your lightsaber, but also the only mode of transportation that can get you off of this rock. I am the next of kin to Han, as Leia forfeited her right to the Falcon, and my nephew is currently indisposed." Rey huffed once more, "Why do you find it so enjoyable to hang my sorry situation over my head whenever I get on your nerves. I am seeing the merits of siding with R2." Luke chuckled, "Because I don't have my own daughter to taunt so you are the next best thing." Luke's laughter subtly shifted to a throaty rasp, as he worked to contain his sorrow. "Luke, what can I do?" Luke shook his head sadly and patted Rey on the shoulder, leaving her to stare at R2 in confusion.

"Unless you can bring my daughter back to me I fear there is nothing you can do. Do not be sorry, Rey, you are like a daughter to me as well. I have a mission for you, but as of right now I need some time to myself. I am glad that you enjoyed your swim, as a fellow desert planet native, swimming for the first time was an ethereal experience. See if you can discipline R2 for me." With that he exited the room. R2 caved in a little bit, and beeped a melody resembling a sigh. "I never knew Luke was a father."


	5. Remembering and Reunion

The Upsilon-class command shuttle slices through the black tar that constitutes the ambience of space. The majority of the ship is self-sufficient as any repairs to the hyper drive or navigation system would automatically engage in restoration. 

Another keen advantage that comes along with the sleek serpent that flies by means of razor wings that cut the very air and pressure of the atmosphere to shreds in order for smooth flight is the black hue of the ship that allows for optimal stealth, and the mechanical apparatuses of the ship are forever updating themselves and evolving to the needs of the mission.

In a way the ship is a living and breathing cyborg or artificial intelligence. Ren leaves the trivial tasks to the ship, and devotes his own focus and and purpose by piloting the dragon of space with every subtle flex and tug of the controls within the recesses of the cockpit.

Ren would loathe to admit such frivolous notions, but the utter rush of power and pleasure that he feels with every turn and flip of the shuttle momentarily forces him back to the time before he was Kylo Ren, and he was just Ben Solo, a Jedi in extraordinaire, and Millennium Falcon captain in training. In the most vulnerable pockets of his reality he has shoved these memories into a warm compartment so that they can only be accessed in the most secure of circumstances as any indication of sentimentality or the cowardly cling to one's past would result in his immediate termination.

Ren had come this far, and he would be damned if these fragile parasites of the time before Kylo Ren take root in his brain. His conditioning and feats have cushioned him from such rememberings. But the recent falling out with Snoke has wrenched the shield of bone that kept his vulnerability captive, and he found himself no longer impervious to feeling.

A blue mass protruded from the holo pad, and Snoke's cloaked figure danced into realization before Kylo. "Yes master?" Ren refrained from any gestures of obedience and respect, which did not go unnoticed by his master.

"I sense that you near the planet of your ancestors before. A fine piece of art, and an even more invaluable stepping stone in our campaign to bring the galaxy to its knees. Your mission is twofold: gain the allegiance of the Nubian Ruling Council and of the current reigning queen. Their choice to remain neutral was a strategic move in the initial tremors of this war, but no longer can apathy be tolerated, their wealth, pragmatic and intellectual government, inherent knack at self-preservation, plasma stores, and the entire celestial body acting as a Force Nexus marks them as a servant that we cannot refuse. Also investigate the areas of the planet that call to you with the most potency, and meditate upon the soil, and collect the sensations and unique surges associated with every area. And report them back to me. We could make significant use of the preserves of Force energy, there may even be kyber crystals burrowed within the sediment embrace of the planet, so do not be adverse to any further digging my apprentice."

Snoke smirked at his jest.

"Oh and Kylo, I recommend you never attack me again, I may have been presented myself as unawares. But that was just a measurement of the extent of your powers and the damage they could wrought. My further analysis was satisfying, but you still have much to learn. May the force be with you, Ren. Or you may find yourself drowning in the pain of others."

"Of course master."

Snoke smirked once more, and Ren finally took note that the injuries Snoke had sustained were already healed. No echoes of his attack lingered in the song of Snoke.

Ren directed his attention forward, but all he saw was Rey's figure, or more accurately her body contorting in impossible angles, every shift accompanied by the whining of cracking bones. Eventually a dark liquid erupted from her eye sockets, and curled its way around the newly refurbished residence that was Rey's mangled corpse. Ren screamed for the first time in a long time.

———

Rey retreated to the cavernous quarters of the Millennium Falcon in order to give Luke as much time as he needed to tame his emotions. Rey was sure that Luke was working to expound upon the subject matter he was undoubtedly going to address prior to the Rey's discovery of his fatherhood. Most likely he just wanted to give her some meditation pointers, or even bequeath a long winded lecture upon the history of the Jedi order to her unwilling ears.

Rey was jolted from her contemplations by the harsh grumble of a hearty snore. That was quite odd, Rey thought to herself. As the snorts and huffs were coming from the gum men's post. She took it upon herself to investigate. It was certainly not R2 as his programming has a strict anti-snoring protocol. And Chewbacca was outside practicing his aim with his bow caster and from the frustrated and guttural grunts he would not return for a good while, as he was thoroughly disgusted with his current performance.

Rey continued until she arrived at the spherical compartment that housed a very uncomfortable looking seat that was flanked with a laser turret before the chair and a worn pair of a head piece lay discarded on the zenith of the gum men chair. And Luke Skywalker as legendary a figure as he was, was found by Rey to be snoring with reckless abandon. Rey almost didn't want to wake him, the serene glaze that had spread over his features was one that he never wore very often, and Luke deserved some rest, but then again where was the fun in rest?

"BOO!" Rey jumped forward and stomped to provide that extra jolt. Luke sprung up faster than a man of his age should have been able to and the hold of sleep melted away as soon as he opened his eyes. After a few haphazard glances around the chamber, he settled upon Rey's snickering figure.

"Something funny? Padawan."

Rey cleared her throat, "Of course not master, I was just inspecting the ship and came across you taking a rather deep nap."

"First of all, I do not nap, I am a Jedi Master, and we are above naps, second I resent the implication that I am old, and third you did not come across me, you startled me half to death into the waking world. You are truly evil."

Rey smiled brightly, "As evil as they come" she chuckled.

Luke offered a warm grin and stood up from his perch, joints cracking and huffing in slight annoyance.

Rey's jovial glimmer faded away as she remembered the past events, she had to ask Luke, at least she needed to try to alleviate some of the pain.  
"Master, from what happened earlier, I am sorry to have upset you earlier. Would you like to talk about it?"

Rey lightly stepped forward and set a palm on his shoulder.

Luke remained still, but Rey blinked and Luke placed his hand upon Rey's and quirked his lips slightly.

"No need to apologize, Rey. You did nothing wrong. I was merely taken off guard, but you actually helped me realize something. Its time I completely stop running from my past. I am sure you have questions. Yes, I am a father, or at least was. I had a daughter, a beautiful and bright girl, just like her namesake actually. Her name was Padmé, and she and her cousin were stuck together like a food in a Hutt's belly."

Luke became a mere voice, every expression of the cheeks and swirl of the voice drifted away. He was obviously traveling back to a time when he still had his daughter near him.

Rey turned to leave but Luke immediately began speaking again.

"Don't worry, I am still here. Anyways, once Ben lost his way, he slaughtered every one of my students, every last one. I was overcome with fighting Ren's Knights, but when I found an opening I killed them all in a fell swoop, and once my eyes adjusted to the carnage Ren had incapacitated my daughter.

He kicked her knees out from underneath her as she struggled to direct as many children as possible to her ship. Her blond hair once restrained in a bun now slid down her back sleek with rain and a handful of the sopping straws of hair curled around the swollen lacerations speckling her face. Padmé changed the composition of the rain to acidic and the rivulets burrowed into Ben's helmet and armor, which then the injuries he sustained only increased his frustration, he reached out for Padmé and she flew to him and he grabbed her by the throat, she struggled, and before I knew it Ben had sliced her hand clean off.

I have never screamed my throat so raw in my life. I sprinted to her side, my baby girl lying before me nourishing her lungs with nothing but shallow breaths. Her hand lay adjacent to her body in a final show of surrender.

My daughter never gave up, but Ben was the first and last person to break her. And I blacked out before long. In my watery purgatory between sleep and wakefulness I heard a fleshy stab and a final groan. I woke up to nothing and no one. Another limb taken from us Skywalker's, poetic justice the Sith would say." Luke cleared his throat and trained his eyes on his own cybernetic extremity. His eyes shifted from vulnerable puddles to polar ice caps. Rey turn on her heel to give her master some time to grieve, when Luke's commanding tone drew her back, "Rey, what do you know about Naboo?"

———

The Gungan Swamp area was not the ideal landing platform, but Ren was buried under layers of paralysis until the marshy throngs where lake and grass blurred padded the lowering and eventual landing of his cruiser. The squishy squelch of the exit ramp barely skimming the rug of soggy shrubbery and eventually diving in head first interrupted Ren's current dream. Kylo jolted forward and automatically scanned the viewing screens to take in his surroundings. The sensors remained tranquil only reporting the occasional fluctuation of passing wild life.

Kylo allowed himself to relax momentarily and do as his master commanded. He gave his Force signature permission to extend pass the physical and search for this so called Nexus. Instead of coming across a vortex buried so deep the hollow pockets contained microscopic bacteria that fed off of force energy, Ren was not beckoned by the echoes of the Nexus, instead he was confronted with two completely exotic sensations. The more muted one hummed a sweet little melody that soothed the dynamic and more potent sense of familiarity. 

Ren felt compelled to close his eyes and travel over the mounds of earth, the sediment of long repressed memories and standing on the grassy rise directly parallel to him was a woman with a striking resemblance to his mother, but before he could investigate any further she morphed into a regal and intimidating creature cloaked in robes of almost sentient colors and her face was shielded behind a powdered mask accented with red markings that only made her seem more severe.

The woman looked his way, and smiled, she began to speak but the atmosphere transfigured from one of serenity to a desolate clearing decorated with the almost frozen corpses of children, women, and men of countless species scattered in the most grotesque fashion. Ren's stomach jerked and he fell to all fours as he unloaded all of the contents weighing him down. Ren had not gotten sick since he was a child and he was beaten in a duel by… Don't say her name. It hurts to much. This was his doing. Innocent and bright young minds flocked to the Netherworld just to escape the wrath of a misguided youth. And for the first time he let himself feel sorrow. But the woman standing behind him wasn't having any of his self pity.

"Returning to old stomping grounds cousin? I cannot say I am surprised once a coward always a coward. Tell me what does it feel like to stand on a mountain of dead bodies devoid of life's best opportunities, do you revel in kicking over the limp figures, stamping your boot on the parasites and weaklings they are to you, do you relish in the frozen slumber that these carcasses will forever reside in, a casket of ice. But you didn't even have the decency to give them a proper burial, it was beneath you, but Cousin, nothing is lower than you. You are scum. It took losing my dominant hand to realize that you really are a fool. Is this what you wanted, to relive the glory of our grandfather as he sliced through younglings with reckless abandon, because you most definitely succeeded, but I will avenge all of them, and I will take pleasure in you begging under my boot this time. Good bye Cousin."

———

Ren's eyes weren't afforded the luxury of witnessing the incoming missile that was unmistakably drawn towards his ship like opposite magnetic forces.

The capsule impaled his ship at the crown and shrapnel sprang from their former cell and embedded themselves in any hard surfaces, looking forward to whatever damage they could inflict. The shrapnel was accompanied by an explosion of volatile gas and Ren was swept off of his feet, helpless in his almost inebriated state to defend himself against the ravenous rhombuses of metal. They dug into every available limb, and the putrid odor of blood wafted from his sliced stomach. Ren was pulled from the wreckage by the roots of his hair and was shoved rudely onto the muck of the swamps.

He looked up to study his assailant, and he caught his breath in his throat as Padmé stood before him with a callous sheen to her once kind eyes. Her blond tresses sheared off at odd angels, her face captured by the inky confines of tattoos running down her cheeks and the tip of her nose. But most disturbing was the electrical implant that replaced the once steady hand of a great warrior.

She ignited an orange lightsaber, nothing like Ren had ever seen before, and he found the biting end almost jammed into the flesh and bone of his throat. Flanking his cousin were several men and women, their identities concealed by their trademark Mandalorian armor. Ren knew exactly what had happened.

"You joined the Mandalorians." Padmé released a satisfied sigh at her cousin's sheer stupidity, "Thank you for that much needed exposition cousin. Unlike my biological family, they took me in and taught me what true strength is, that which I am anxious to demonstrate upon you." Her head swiveled as she took in every single one of her comrades in arms, "Well friends shall we let the fun begin?"


	6. Unveiled Information and Desperate Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two songs I recommend listening to when reading this chapter are SHADOW PREACHERS AND HYPNOTIC, both by Zella Day. I think from now on I am going to have a few song recommendations to add to the ante and enhance the reading experience. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope it isn't horrible

Chapter 6 Unveiled Secrets and Desperate Times  
Two songs I recommend listening to when reading this chapter are SHADOW PREACHERS AND HYPNOTIC, both by Zella Day. I think from now on I am going to have a few song recommendations to add to the ante and enhance the reading experience. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope it isn't horrible.

Rey balked slightly. She had grown accustomed to Luke surprising her with random questions, but they usually involved some sort of philosophical mumbo jumbo. She hadn't been expecting him to actually devise an inquiry that was so, dare she say: normal. Luke watched her gaze and registered telepathic signals emanating from Rey that conveyed her puzzlement.

Luke chose to not delve deeper into the nature of her perplexity as it was her right alone to reach a logical conclusion. He remained their patiently as he saw his apprentice consider and evaluate his question. The gears in Rey's mind were certainly grinding, but due to her isolated childhood on Jakku she didn't possess extensive knowledge of cosmopolitan planets that held any real significance politically or intellectually. Furthermore, the planet was no where close to the Jakku system so any merchants or scavengers who she might have gleaned information from chose to not discuss Naboo as it had no impact on them as well. 

On Jakku the way of life was defined by a widespread ignorance as concerning oneself with galactic affairs was just a waste of time. Rey selected to answer honestly, as Luke would be able to tell if she was lying. "Sir, I know absolutely nothing." Rey waited impatiently for Luke's response. She bounced on the ball of her feet in a little jig that made Luke chuckle. Rey thought for a moment that he might have been laughing at her glaringly limited knowledge, but she thankfully realized he was amused by her nervous behavior.

"Rey it's alright. This isn't a trick question; there is no wrong answer. I just wanted to see if you had any information about the planet prior to my introduction of the mission. Long story short, it was a focal point of education and learning, the home world of Emperor Palpatine, a rich source of plasma and the place where my mother came from. In my moments of reflection, might I add that are few and far between now due to your shall we say interesting presence,

(Rey recently challenged herself to be a more dutiful and benign acolyte, but she thought it alright to partake in a little show of juvenile jocularity, she stuck out her tongue at her teacher)

I have found myself attuned to these specks of an erroneous nature. In a compartment of the galaxy where there nothing but quiet in the form of a black landscape of gravity prodding the empty space due to loneliness there now is an aberration that sticks out like a sore thumb.

I have often strained to communicate with the spirit of my daughter by way of ritual, but there was never any murmur of the fabric of space-time folding in on itself to permit my daughter leave from the Netherworld. In all my years as a follower of the Force and a Jedi every force sensitive I knew and loved was able to return to me as a Force Ghost. A feat that I recently learned in my research to be a strenuous task, but I still believe my daughter is strong enough to transcend the veil and manifest her soul and energy as a visible apparition. But now I do not only feel it in the Force but my heart I have detected her unique signature. 

For the first time in 20 years I find myself not in a wasteland of contrition and self-loathing. My daughter is alive."

Luke extricated himself from the chair and hastily enveloped Rey in a monumental hug. Rey was astonished by the different strands of relief and elation that slowly crept from the once desolate mind of Luke Skywalker. The hug conveyed whole spectrum of emotions. In this moment she was delighted to discover that she had finally forged a Force Bond of master and apprentice with Luke.

Via this holy link her sensitivity to the nuances of Luke Skywalker's mindscape were amplified tenfold. She returned the gesture with gusto as she hugged back. Despite the expanding family of salty and yet hopeful tears finding a home on her fabric clad shoulder Rey was confident that a new chapter of light is to begin for her master.

Rey was the first to disembark from the embrace and watched jovially as her instructor's grin only grew. In the borders of her preoccupations a battalion of responsibility threatened to pour out and dampen her happiness. She thought it best to allow a return to reality and priorities as there would be time for celebration once the work was done.

"Master, this is the best news I have heard. I cannot begin to express the joy that I feel. After so many years of toil you are long overdue for some solace and happiness. I hate to navigate away from such a wonderful topic but if there is anything I have learned from you, it is entirely irresponsible and negligent to forget one's commitments and duties, now what are your wishes regarding Naboo?"

———

Padmé sent a tendril of force lightning to fry her cousin's brains out but he deftly erected a menial but effective force barrier to counter the barrage. He sent a kinetic blow to the Mandalorians that surrounded him but they responded with finesse as they activated their jet packs to compensate for the arrival of such momentum. They landed on their feet and removed grenades from their almost bursting pockets of weaponry. P

admé dashed to Kylo, her feet swept by the will of the Force, and she lifted her lightsaber and slashed Kylo's shoulder, but he was able to send the pain packing as he employed a momentary dark healing ritual sent the grenades flying back to their owners as they threatened to cause only further injury.

The assortment of plasma, poisonous and frag grenades did short work of incapacitating his cousin's lackeys.

Kylo foolishly engaged in a misplaced declaration of pride and revelry in the form of audible whoops not unlike his early years of being an eager Jedi apprentice who had gotten the hang of telekinesis. Padmé roared with fury indignation and demolished the defenses of her cousin and quickly restrained him in a menacing Force choke. The superior tactician of the pair she knew to capitalize on the arrogance of Ren.

"Dear cousin, what a valiant effort, I give you kudos for proving your mettle against my crew, but your hubris was always your greatest opponent. If you could only relinquish your petty sense of self importance you could unlock your full potential as a combatant. But now because of your idiocy I am gifted with the sweet reward of watching you write in pain. This is my retribution. Take a moment to really appreciate the luxury that is the ability to breath, now you will finally understand the cruelty of your actions as you left me for dead, an animated corpse suffocating in her own misery, begging for an end. Your suffering warms my heart. At last you can make me laugh. Thank you, you have made my day."

The clarity of the day slowly waned as the vital air refused to nourish the dark sider's body. Ripples of cascading light dancing with consuming darkness tentatively crept into Ren's line of sight. His throat was a mess of bursting blood vessels and flesh bereft of its reservoir of vitality. As his eyes closed he was jolted with a current of electricity.

Instead of rendering him a pathetic form of torment, the arrival of it could not be more welcome. The vivacious branches of life quickly repaired the corrosion done to his throat and released him from his cousin's telekinetic choke hold. A burst of air spawned from oblivion and attacked his cousin. She made hard contact with the spongy ground as she found herself a rather unforgiving rock pillow.

Ren was left panting on his hands and knees, rendered speechless and utterly dumbfounded in his change of fortune. A coaxing yet apprehensive entity lay its claim in the open space and when Ren lifted his head, he was astonished to behold the form of Rey before his very eyes. She looked absolutely terrified and just as confused as he. They locked eyes.

"Ah, thank you for the reminder Rey, I would like to think I was just getting to that. I understand the connection between my daughter and Naboo is rather obscure; but I was able to pinpoint the life Force of my daughter to the terrestrial confines of Naboo. I know not what she is doing or whom she is with, but as a father, and one of the last remaining Jedi, I am honor bound to bring my student home."

She cringed internally at the prospect of carrying out such an important mission. The weight of her success would have to carry her through the tribulations that would undoubtedly await. Spines of electric pulses sashayed throughout Rey's body and a mirage of another place sprung to life.

Rey observed the swaths of murky yet beautiful lakes with rippling glass surfaces of turquoise and she breathed in the aroma of nearby colonies of grass. This place was one of nature and purity; it was a nice change of pace from the smell of oil and grease that permeated the corridors of the Millennium Falcon. Rey's eyes focused on something in the distance, the skeleton of a shatter Upsilon cruiser and shuddered to guess what had ravaged the nigh impenetrable metal membrane. Flashes of orange, yellow and reds crackled before the wrecked star skiff and as her eyes adjusted to the reach between her and the fire work show the colors materialized into solid shapes that Rey could deduce to be humans bound in battle hardened but sturdy armor in addition to lethal implements.

A tower of a woman stood steadfast and resolute with curls and whips of black that concealed her identity but did nothing to shield one from the snarl of pleasure that raked through her features. She was undoubtedly a powerful ally of the Force, but Rey found herself unable to detect the nature of the woman.

There was a lone figure, an aberration that boasted rivulets of scarlet running from several locations who remain suspended in the air clutching at his throat as if choking on nothing, but everything. Rey's senses scanned and identified the immobile man clad in dark robes as something she was not expecting. The outer regions of the signature were biting and seemed to relish in the sting it inflicted, but as she climbed through the foreboding thorns, a small core of light resided within.

A name ripped through Rey's mind like a comet: Ben Solo. Choosing to defy her abhorrence of what was the fiend Kylo Ren, she vowed to rescue the good man that lay beneath.

The scene of battle retreated from the mind's eye of the acolyte and she stumbled forward jutting her hands out to stabilize her compromised balance. She snapped her eyes to Luke, and he was unnerved at the wicked ferocity held in her eyes. "Master, I think I just found your nephew. I don't know how or why but I was pulled into a vision of what I believe is occurring right now. Ben is in trouble, he is imprisoned in an invisible grip of strangulation in addition to a myriad of armor clad mercenaries and an imposing woman that is the one responsible for choking him. She radiated a strong signal in the Force, but she also reeked of malice. Who could she be?"

———

Luke stepped back and shakily positioned his mechanical hand over his heart. A haunted realm sloshed in his eyes threatening to drown Rey in the horror. Luke slowly gazed at the cluster of wiring, metal and circuitry that defined him as a Skywalker. He only knew one other person with the same hand cleaved off. The assailant was none other than Padmé, his daughter.

If the statements made by Rey were indeed accurate, his child may already be captive in the throes of the dark side. He had failed as a father once, before but now was his chance to heal the ruin he allowed to fester. "Rey where do you think they are? No don't think, just feel." Rey answered in a rapid delivery of words, "I don't know how or why but I am certain that the planet is none other than Naboo. Master we need to travel there as soon as possible."

Luke nodded vehemently, "I couldn't agree more. Let's ready the ship." Rey moved to enter the cockpit when a razor sharp gasp lept from the previously tranquil Jedi. He held his head in his hands and expunged the ache as quickly as he could. He shook out the images and noises and stood up straight. "General Leia is in trouble. I grew up without knowing that I had a twin sister in this Galaxy, so soon after losing Han and Ren she demands to be consoled. I only hope she is not in a position to be injured physically. I cannot abandon her. You need to go, find Ren, and attempt to make my daughter see reason. I need the ship as of now to come to Leia's aid, but I can send you back. Be patient and wise my apprentice, follow the Light and let the Force guide you. Do not cave to the seductions of the Dark Side and remain true to yourself and my teachings. I see that you will learn much about your past. Do not run from it, but proclaim your heritage as your own. You can use what was once Dark to spread Light."

Luke raised a hand and Rey was teleported to Naboo. She was not even able to speak a word of farewell or to express her surprise that Padmé was also involved. A shadow of doubt shuddered inside Rey's heart as she feared the ominous warnings of her master regarding her origins.

Rey witnessed the reverberation as it dispelled Padmé from her standing position and recovered Ben from his paralysis. She remained stationary and mustered up the courage to address Padmé, "Excuse me. I am very sorry to interrupt but I was sent here to help. Your father was the one who brought me here, he misses you terribly and send me as an emissary."

Padmé laughed with a striking yet hollow tremble. "Father's new pet. I am offended that he did not come himself. He always depended on others to carry out his wishes. At least now I have another person to hurt, its not the same as torturing my father, but it will do."

Rey grabbed her lightsaber and ignited it. She elevated it to a protective posture. Padmé halted in her tracks for a moment, as she realized that the legendary lightsaber of her father, and his father before him lay in the hands of an outsider. "That is mine." Rey deflected the declaration and readied herself for a fight. "Really, because I think orange suits you much better." Padmé charged and in background of the irate Skywalker was Ben. 

He smirked slightly, and telekinetically seized a blaster from an unconscious Mandalorian. "Cousin, I made the same claim, but it chose her. I recommend you let it go. It doesn't want anyone of our line. She was chosen. And now I choose to slaughter your goons."

The last words spoke of a cruel desire and Rey shivered at the malice, but she reminded herself of the more pressing engagement. The Mandalorians were gradually procuring their bearings and were now even more motivated to assault Ren. They opened fire and orange with blue. Rey and Ren locked eyes once more, and a telepathic rapport was born.

———

I hate you, but I am going to help you. You take the ones with ranged weapons, then the ones with melee weapons. I need to prove that my ownership of this lightsaber is rightful and bring back Padmé to her senses.

Good luck she was always obstinate as hell. How about an accordance, we wait to kill each other until after we overpower these guys.

I hate you, how can you be so flippant? But I guess I have no choice, deal Ben.

Rey knew not why she ventured to address Ren by his birth name, nor did she fail to notice the shock on Ben's face.

What did you call me?

Ben. You don't deserve it, but if we are going to die we might as well be on a true first name basis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this is super cliche but I had to put in the banter. Hopefully nothing is too out of character, I just feel like Ben is actually a lot like his charismatic and humorous dad under the emo shell. And I felt that it was necessary that she start to see Ben as a person separate from Kylo. I will still address him as Ren just for the sake of easy identification, but I used Ren instead of Kylo sometimes as it rhymes with Ben. I was really channeling from Princess Azula vibes with Padme here. She is not evil, but she has kind of undergone a breakdown as her home was destroyed, she lost her hand, her cousin tried to kill her and she thinks her father abandoned her. Anyways, she is just unhinged right now. And I found it really symbolic that both her and Luke share a last name, are blond and have the same hand as a cybernetic outfit. UP NEXT: Rey and Ren pretend to be a married couple? Why is Rey scared of her past, and who is she related to? Will their attraction to each oher grow, and what of the light and dark? Also Leia and Luke reunion.
> 
> I promise more R2 and Chewbacca. I know they faded into the background, but considering the last chapter and this one only have taken up a day's time we can assume that they are doing repairs, playing Sabacc and outside and stuff. Thank you so much. Any feedback is welcome.


	7. Revelations and Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite chapter of all. I hope you guys enjoy the reveal and the writing is up to par. This chapter raises the stakes and sets up the climax. I hope the dialogue isn't too clunky or cliche. This has been an absolute treat to write. I recommend listening to "The Animal I have become" by Three Day's Grace "BloodSport" by Raleigh Ritchie and "Shadow Preachers" by Zella Day. I hope the transition from banter to a dark fight is not too jarring, I just thought it adds some levity and humor. I am trying my hand at comedy writing kind of. Any critiques or questions just PM me. This chapter is 3,700 words of content so its a big improvement from 2,000 words.

Let's make a deal, if I can mow these morons down quicker you can dispatch Miss Maniacal over there then you give me the light saber.

Nice try but no.

If you agree I will give you my light saber. Red is definitely your color.

No way! Only a Schutta would accept that wager. Besides yours is not safe, I don't know how you don't cut your fingers off every time you ignite it with the lower cross guard.

It is of the finest craftsmanship I will have you know. I built it myself.

I can tell.

Where is it now?

Probably in several pieces buried under the remains of my ship.

I see you were trying to pull one over one me. You're much less dangerous without a laser sword in your hand. I'll pass.

Joykill.

Its my calling in life. We haven't made it out of this alive yet. Now shut up and pull your own weight man.

———

The remaining Mandalorians had merged together to construct a defensive knot. The basic set up of the concentration was heavy artillery stationed close to the floor to make way for their fellow compatriots wielding rifles and pistols as they would have a larger target space. This tactic was known as the Sarlaac Gambit, the warriors moving with lethal precision posed as much of a threat as the plentiful and blunt tendrils of the terrain bound leviathan. 

The grounded cannons were a mixture of mortar rounds and gravity welds. The intention for these particular weapons was to dislodge the opponent's footing and the absence of gravity would afford the prime opportunity to latch onto their victim's appendages with retractable cables.

The final step was to pull back the restrained combatants into the heart of the group and then the upper layer with the lighter blasters would shoot those unfortunate souls into smoldering mats of flesh. In addition to acting as the firing squad to those unlucky enough to fall prey to the Sarlaac Gambit's reach the rifle and pistol bearers made quick work of any other opponents from a sizable range.

Ben was expending much of his energy just trying to dodge the cannon attacks and no amount of physical augmentation would permit him to battle much longer. With a DC-15A that had seen better days as his only armament, Ben couldn't help but feel naked. He cursed himself for allowing his marksmanship to fall through the cracks as he devoted his life to the study and application of light saber fencing and blast deflection.

Despite his ineptitude Ben still felt a reckless surge of euphoria with every plasma bolt that he launched because it brought him back to a simpler time. It was simply him and the rifle working as a team, no blade to maneuver or a specific form to recall and execute. In an awful way he almost felt a connection to Han. As a child his father not only regaled him with stories of his various but equally epic exploits during the Galactic Civil War. 

But he would also take Ren to practice his blaster accuracy with Chewie. Ren's personal favorite escapade was the one where his father had met up with Uncle Luke and Ben Kenobi to rescue his mother from Grand Moff Tarkin. Ben never truly believed that his mother was in need of a hero as she had the guts to mock Tarkin's stuffy accent right to his face. She even withstood watching her planet dying in a swarm of debris and ravenous fires that burnt out quickly due to the imposing rule of cold space.

When his father got to the part about charging head first into a hall way without a second thought, rifle in hand, he could always know that without fail he would laugh so heartily as his father revealed that he ran into a whole squad of storm troopers. Han tried to repair his image and save face by downplaying the number of troops and the level of femininity that defined his scream. Melancholy faded the memory to black as Ren remembered the fact that he murdered his father. The great Han Solo slain by the only son he had, a remarkable father to the end as he pleaded with Ben to come home.

Another casualty of the Dark Side. Ben chose to sacrifice his name, family and self to follow Snoke because he wanted direction and purpose. At 15 he couldn't realize the fall out of accepting that crooked opaque hand that boasted the irresistible prospect of power and identity. In the years of isolation and ignominy that followed Ren became obsessed with preserving his grandfather's legacy.

Initially Ben was resentful of the long shadows cast by his parents and uncle; as superficial as it was he wanted to be someone renowned for his own achievements. Darth Vader bestowed upon him the opportunity to create something entirely new and powerful. Rey was the one to point out that Ben's dedication had decayed into a glorified inferiority complex. The Dark Side was no longer that catalyst of triumph that Ben once selfishly hoped it would be; it had only made him a murderer and a hypocrite. How could he have become this vile creature? His sole purpose was to snuff out light and impose a dynasty of darkness. 

He thought of his family to be weak as they combated the founts of malignancy that spotted the landscape of their spirit where the Sun could not reach, but maybe they were right. And Snoke was wrong.

Thoughts of redemption and forgiveness were absurd. Ben was as undeserving as the old Emperor himself of absolution. But it was possible that he could go down with a less heavy heart and a soul no longer drenched in the blood of those lost for his gain. Ben was unable to comprehend why Rey had come to offer succor. He had kidnapped, tortured and tried to kill her over something as trivial as a weapon; why was she here? 

What was the purpose behind her actions? Rey was a beacon of potential, and it was befuddling that she would risk her own skin to keep her former captor alive. The easy path would be to cast the rifle aside and offer himself as a sacrificial gizka, but if he were to even attempt to remedy the damage of his past he would have to survive to face the music.

Ben also owed it to the woman fighting valiantly at his side, venturing into the great unknown as she dueled the shattered shell that was once his cousin. He would make sure they both lived to see the next day. Ben raised his rifle and competently downed 3 Mandalorians in 1 magazine when the ice and cries reached him.

———

Rey was beginning to seriously question the relation between Luke and his daughter. Logically the connection made sense as they resembled each other heavily with the mechanical prosthetic, the famous last name and and the blue eye and blond hair combination but their demeanors couldn't have been more different. The variation was only becoming more profound as Padmé taunted Rey with promises of disembowelment and drowning in her own blood.

The female Mandalorian's psychological warfare was reminiscent of the Dun Möch tactic that guaranteed their opponent to lower their mental guard and slowly erode their resolve to contend fully in the altercation to retain their lives.

Rey started to adhere to a simple thought pattern in regards to her strikes and evasive measurements. Padmé was the superior duelist no question, but her prowess rendered her susceptible to overconfidence and a failure to employ sharp and clean technique.

The orange column of energy came unnervingly close to beheading Rey more times than she would prefer. The only conviction Rey held fast to was her response time and adaptability.

Parry, block, jump back, take advantage of a vulnerability left open. Several times Rey wished that she could fall back on her Force abilities but Padmé was intelligent enough to stonewall Rey in a hand to hand confrontation in order to avoid the necessary focus and strength to withstand and counter Force attacks. Padmé feigned left and was able to slash deeply into Rey's shoulder blade.

The success of the assault relied only on the confirmation of a strangled scream from Rey. Padmé telekinetically wrenched her father's light saber from Rey's weakening grasp and sent it flying several paces away. She ruthlessly kicked Rey's knees out and sent her sprawling in the mat of leaves, grass and swamp water. Padmé took her foot and wedged her heel into Rey's newly acquired wound and put full weight on it crushing Rey underfoot.

The deranged Skywalker had been piecing together an intriguing puzzle in her head as she kicked Rey in the gut and slammed her head into the ground. Why would this stupid girl rush to her cousin's aid without as much as a moment's hesitation. Padmé had proven herself to be a dangerously capable telepathic combatant and her skill also permitted her heightened awareness of extraneous telepathic communication occurring in the surrounding area.

There was a rapport between Kylo and this girl, a prominent vein ran deep into the past that explained the intense bond between the unlikely duo. Padmé had only witnessed such blind fidelity between two Force Adepts in her time: her cousin and that wretched little fiend that would follow Kylo to an early grave.

The connection between this girl and Kylo mystified an agitated Padmé to no end, but her reasonably skilled deductive ability indicated the presence of the Dark Side in both of their souls. The reality of the threat this girl and her cousin could pose hit Padmé with the magnitude of a meteor collision. It was her duty as a Mandalorian to expunge these aberrations from existence and save the Galaxy much pain.

In this case nature exceeded nurture on the influence it had over Kylo and Rey's character. Maybe some satisfaction could be salvaged from this encounter by messing with their heads and unleashing their demons right before they died.

Padmé removed her foot from Rey's inert form and watched with pleasure as the girl inched away on her hands and knees.

"You are exactly where you belong witch. Bowing before your betters."

Rey was struggling to remain awake but her confusion was still as potent as ever, "What have I ever done to you?"

Padmé giggled, "I suppose my father worked his magic once again by wiping your and my cousin's memory of each other and your childhood. This will be so much fun to enlighten you to the abomination that you truly are. You and my cousin were a formidable pair at the training academy, you worshipped the ground he walked on and he humored your obsession.

My father undoubtedly withheld your ancestry from you as it would be overwhelming for a child to carry the burden of that knowledge, it would also make you a target of ire and hate. My father's assistant was not such a secure confidant and soon word got out. You were the fragging great granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine himself. You are the direct descendant of the epitome of evil. You didn't know it at the time but you were already falling prey to the dark tendencies that were burnt into your genetic code, the companionship that you sought with my cousin was one of the Dark side.

His idolization of our grandfather Darth Vader turned my cousin into a fool. Seeing as our grandfather was Palpatine's lackey Kylo felt duty bound and was excited to be your friend Its no surprise that Snoke managed to get to you both at such a young age. My dear, you were bred to be a monster."

Rey's only reaction was one of utter disbelief which manifested itself in the repeated shaking of her head and her utilization of the word "no". Rey's voice began to rise as she elevated herself to a standing position once again. Soon her whispers were traded in for screams.

"You are lying. This is just your pathetic attempt at breaking me, but you will not succeed."

Rey forced herself to neglect the familiar knowledge breaking its way through the surface of her once blissful sea of ignorance.

"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."

Rey lost all control.

"You are a liar!"

Rey's figure was blocked by a cloudy mist as her powers reached a fever pitch. Letting out a sonic scream that shattered the ear drums of all those present save for Ren, Rey released a swell of ice. Spikes protruding from nothing as they lodged themselves in the bodies of the Mandalorians and Padmé. Ren had to leap out of the way but he was still subject to the frozen barrage.

Icicles flew through the air and quickly became adorned with skin, flesh and blood as they bore into the slits between armor pieces. The temperature plummeted and a casing of ice covered a mile radius. Bits of hail and snow rotated faster and faster in the strangling cold. Rey reached out and grabbed Padmé as ice shot from her hands to trap Padmé in a bitter chokehold. Sheets of the ice expanded and covered everything it could find on Padmé's body, she screeched in agony as she was literally frozen to death. Rey violently pushed her away and let her fall to the newly formed skin of sleet.

She had never felt more alive. Euphoria was ever present and only make the yells of anguish and the squishy sounds of exploding body parts. She stepped on Padmé's remaining organic arm and shattered it into ruby red shards.

———

She retrieved her light saber and helped Ben to his feet as they crept in the opposite direction. A hollow chuckle accompanied Rey's enjoyment and with each reverberation Ben grew more disturbed. They reached a felled tree and Ren remained stationary as Rey tended to the frost bite and other afflictions racking Ben. Inexplicably Rey's injuries had vanished.

———

When Rey raised her hand to apply a bacta pad to Ben's face he shrank back as he observed the yellowing of her eyes as branches of purple and red subtly grew from her eye lid. The Dark side was already taking its hold. As Rey once again tried to make use of the pad Ren jerked away.

"I just saved your life. Could you do me the courtesy of acquiescing Ren?"

Ben forced back a steady supply of nauseating bile as she referred to him by his alias.

"It is Ben."

The declaration was brief but firm. He vowed to abandon the mantel he took as a killer and return back into a decent human being. His first act would be to bring Rey back from the brink of darkness.

He gently clasped her hand and discarded the pad to the side. He attempted to send soothing waves of healing via the direct contact but she resisted. He positioned her face squarely in front of his and his efforts began to work as the yellow retracted from her irises and the bruised vines shriveled away. He released her grip and they remained close for a while longer. Rey traced the scar she left on Ben's face with her eyes and she rushed to the side to vomit. What had she done? She had slaughtered countless Mandalorians and left Luke's daughter for dead.

She had failed in everything she sought to accomplish and allowed her rage to act as poison. She continued to vomit as glops of blood began to join the ranks of her vomitus.She was brought back from her stupor by the light embrace of Ben. He aided her in sitting upright. He never shifted his gaze to anything other than Rey. She stood suddenly and shoved Ben away.

"You did this to me! As a kid you led me down this path. You encouraged the echoes of my great grandfather to return in my actions. I was only a child and you let me become just like him. I hate you!"  
Rey smashed into Ben with her knuckles until they ran red and cracked into crevices of split skin. Ben just sat their and allowed her to express her emotions. She collapsed and fell backward as a slight sob began to take shape.

"You are right Rey. I am the reason that you have the propensity for sadism. I corrupted a part of you, but there is still so much that is good and light in you. You have helped make me a human again and I am indebted to you. Don't give up now. If I can change so can you."

"Words mean nothing Ben. Do something worthy and then we can talk. But I have to admit you are a wise ass not a bad conversationalist. Maybe there is a possible future in which I can come back from this. I just cannot believe that I am descended from the root of all darkness."

"Rey light abolishes the dark. Together we can help each other."

The sobs subsided and Rey bent her head in fatigue.

"I am willing to try, but no promises. Now put your credits where you mouth is and join myself and Luke in saving your mother and the Resistance. Groveling will do none of us any favors."

———

Luke was hoping for a reunion that wasn't defined by danger but he was not to be right. The first time he was to see his twin sister in a decade was in the medium of a hologram transmission. Leia had never looked so tired, there was no trace of fear in her face, just exhaustion.

"Luke I wish we were meeting on the ground of better circumstances but it seems the Force has played our hands for us. Supreme Leader Snoke's capital ship has been spotted exiting light speed in the near vicinity of D'Qar. He isn't alone, he has an entire fleet and we are sitting ducks. You know how to win in almost insurmountable odds against the evilest of foes, and the Galaxy needs you once more. And most of all, your sister wants you to come home. Help me Luke Skywalker, you are my only hope."

Leia managed to give a watery smile and disappeared in a linear fashion as the last visible thing was her salute.

Chewie and R2 were sitting alongside Luke as they watched the message. Anxiety reigned supreme, and even R2-D2 as much a droid as ever was emanating pulses of worry with sound effects to boot.

"Chewbacca and Artoo, ready the ship. We leave immediately. Just like old times."

———

"I repeat we are not masquerading as a married couple. You are an idiot."

"Ok complain later be helpful now. I already killed one parent, and I don't be the reason my other one dies."

Rey softened slightly, "Fine, I concede. Though I think you are enjoying this too much. Just make the purchase."

Ben turned back and smiled roguishly. "What purchase? We are stealing this bad boy."

Through grit teeth Rey went along with the charade seeing as both of them were bereft of any acceptable currency. Rey beguiled the business man with the tale of their forbidden marriage and the fact that they were making a get away to Dantooine to raise their child away from all of the hubbub of Naboo and the interference of their families.

The Togruta listened patiently as he was keen on making a sale but little did he know that Ben was overriding security on the ship and programming the route to the Ileenium system in the navigational computer. Ben gave her a thumbs up and Rey knew it was time to start her criminal career.

"Look over there. It's a Jedi."

The Togruta immediately turned away to grab his holo camera to capture a picture of the Force monk for his wife.

Rey wasted no time and boarded the freighter with enviable speed and she had already buckled into the pilot's chair in the cockpit. Ben looked up with an agitated frown.

"Get up. That's my seat."

"Yeah right FlyBoy you made me commit a crime now I am in charge of getting us where we need to go. Buckle in and stop whining. It is unbecoming."

Ben begrudgingly plopped into the copilot's chair and began to work in perfect synch with Rey as they quickly readied the ship for take off. Before the business man had time to alert the authorities the ship was already in the air.

———

Padmé yearned for death. Losing her other arm and being responsible for the eradication of her entire squad was more than she could bear. She had failed and was no left to languish. Padmé had been instructed in esoteric Force arts that were unknown to the common person, but one of them was the ability to manipulate midichlorians to cause instant death. She had never known it to work on oneself, but Padmé was desperate to exit the physical plane of being.

She steadied her body and cleared her mind as she prepared to take her own life but a whisper broke her concentration. She screamed in frustration and only began to cry as her half dead form crumpled even further into its ravaged state. Her head grew heavy and she closed her eyes preying for a merciful end. Instead a monolith of a sentient approached her as cascading curtains of shadow melted away and he extended his hand as if to raise her up.

"My child. How they have broken you. No matter, I will make you even greater than before. Become my apprentice. I can offer you a place at my side and the opportunity to exact vengeance on those who did you wrong. Join me."

His words were like a siren song and they resulted in the only possible result of acceptance.

"What is your will master?"

Sides had shifted and the universe was not the way it once was. Key player for both the Light and Dark side have made decisions that will reshape the lives of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet none of you saw that twist coming. Rey is Palpatine's great grandaughter...what?! I know unexpected. Now we see Snoke taking on Padme as his pawn and Ben is starting to reclaim his humanity. I also wanted to reemphasize that Padme is not truly evil she just thinks in her own deluded way that her actions are justified and good. The usage of Ben's experiences with Han kind of helped me create a more organic feel for the character. From now on he will be known as Ben. This is the third to last chapter so the story is coming to an end very soon. I hope to have this finished by my birthday. Do not worry there will be a sequel and Rey's family will be further explored and Leia, Luke and Chewie will have larger roles. I have not decided if C3PO, Poe or Finn will make appearances. Stay tuned. Love you guys. Up next:Family reunion, Snoke finally fights for himself, Leia sucker punches Ben, Rey wrestles with her demons and begins to question herself. :)


	8. Evolution and Loss of Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is the penultimate chapter. My song recommendations are "Don't let me Go" by Raign, "Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, "Time of Dying" Three Day's Grace and "Far Away" by Nickelback. Things are coming to a close but I have had the greatest time writing this story. This chapter is all about inner struggle, overcoming weakness and the danger of resentment and being scared of the past. For me its a really philosophical chapter that hits on some really important points. I also tried to cut some of the unnecesary exposition as it is clunky and detracts from the narrative. Enjoy!

The satisfaction that Snoke's foresight provided him into the proceeding events was enough incentive for the skin tight translucent lips of the clay like face to curve into a harrowing smile. The sizable gash that resided on the right side of the creature's countenance plunged even deeper into the pitch maw of Snoke's innards.

Kylo Ren had served his purpose well enough but his benefit to the itinerary of the Supreme Leader had reached its end. A proficient apprentice, loyal enforcer and obsequious subject Ren was now presenting himself as a potential adversary as he shed his dark mystique and sought to amend ties with his fractured family. It was truly wonderful that the Skywalker line was so keen to produce such unhinged and disturbed offspring as they functioned as superb pawns. Ren's naiveté and now Padmé's obsession with retribution bequeathed Snoke a vehicle of progress.

A long time ago in a wasted youth, neophyte adept in training, Snoke proclaimed that the Skywalker line was the ultimate gateway to dominance and would guarantee a perpetual existence of power. The family had proven too volatile and erratic to act as a dependable resource but when employed in a restrained manner their abilities could prove to be a boon.

It wasn't less than 20 years gone by when he learned that Palpatine had left behind the greatest of all prizes: a direct descendant bred to be more powerful than the preceding generations. The fact of the Emperor's continued lineage was significantly less peculiar as was the origin of the child. Snoke had anticipated a perfectly controlled facility where the child was to be trained meticulously in the ways of the Dark Side and educated on her forthcoming responsibilities, but on the contrary, the girl was born and raised in utter seclusion. The most preposterous aspect was the fact that the girl spent the first years of her life as a student of Luke Skywalker himself. These unfavorable conditions may have deterred an inferior strategist but any ill effects were soon reversed as the girl's memories were removed and she was dropped on the dust ball of Jakku.

Now was the time for Snoke to recruit Rey Palpatine as his final and most prodigious apprentice yet. It was not substantiated in the Dark Side to foster a master that would willingly submit to their student, but Snoke was certain that someday Rey would resurrect the Empire and surpass her great grandfather in power. The Galaxy will never have known a more infinite figure of the Force. Before this reality could occur obstacles had to be eliminated and threats neutralized. The first order of business was to rid the Universe of the Skywalker and Solo clan.

Snoke settled his gaze on the broken woman shivering on the med bay table as attendants proved unable to inject a sleeping agent. Snoke dismissed the bumbling morons and knelt before Luke Skywalker's daughter as he commenced the healing ritual. The girl had lost both arms which could hinder her combative viability but it would not prohibit his next objective.

———

The fleet was to arrive at the Resistance Base within 2 hours.

———

Rey had taken to rattling off gibberish as the ship secured itself on auto-pilot. Ben was already on high alert as he couldn't shake the monster that had inhabited his companion's body only hours earlier. His memories were returning to the fold and his past grew clearer. It was true that Rey had followed him around as if he were a God but he just appreciated that someone was willingly spending time with him.

———

Padmé had always been the golden child and beings of every race and creed flocked to his cousin. She was arrogant enough to believe her immense following was due to her genuine likability but Ben was the only one who understood that the immense size of her associates was a byproduct of her talent in the Force. She instinctively formed Force Bonds with people in her immediate proximity. Insanity and pride seemed to be an unwanted side effect of such a powerful connection to the Force. He was now scared that the same fate was awaiting the woman currently having a nervous break down in the cockpit.

Ben stood up and proceeded to Rey's shaking figure and was once again taken aback as Rey's features contorted into a snarl. The air around her began to pulsate and her image changed. Within a few seconds Rey was no longer there a haggard ghost of a man took her place. His hood accentuated the umbrakinetic energy that permeated the area and hid the very tip of the man's head.

Where there should have been a hue of light yet liver spotted skin was a putrid display of strangled lilac and indentations of dull auburn that dominated the leathery wrinkles of tissue. The shade's mouth was moving but no words could be discerned. Ben took the liberty of imagining a throaty cackle. The face rotated to observe Ben and the same bronze eyes that Rey greeted Ben with earlier showed their face again. They spoke of terror and tragedy but instead of mourning they explained sadistic glee in the detailed darkness.

The man raised his fingers and froze the, as if to slice through Ben's body as the figure disappeared.

Ben couldn't believe it, he had seen Emperor Palpatine with his own eyes. Ben did mot believe that his deranged cousin was being serious when she declared that Rey was related to most infamous Sith Lord of all. Now that Rey was before his eyes again he couldn't separate the two from each other and it proved that his cousin was speaking the truth.

But if there was anything Ben had learned as of late it was that ancestry does not define a person. Ben trusted Rey as a pilot but anybody near the controls should be in their right state of mind. He tapped Rey on the shoulder and indicated for her to travel to the crew quarters. She started to object but knew Ben had a point. Rey left the chair empty and sluggishly turned to seek refuge in the lumpy and cheap cot stowed away claustrophobically in the crew quarters.

Before she reached the threshold of the door way Rey heard something in her head, "Rey remember that those that came before us even if connected by blood don't determine who we are. My grandfather was more machine than man and a notorious killer but he found the strength to fight and so have I. That bastard has absolutely no hold on you. He only wins if you let him. Be the person we all know and love. No pressure."

Rey smiled and continued forward. Love. What a word. She had never known what it was for the entirety of her life. But now with Ben nearby she was finally beginning to understand it.

———

Rey made her best effort to find peace but to no avail. She settled on staring blankly up at the ribbed ceiling. Rey found it hard to articulate a coherent thought. Ben was surprisingly good company for someone who had tried to kill her rather recently but his words held little more than comforting assertions as he was finally able to break free and become who he wanted to be.

Also the cynic side of her mind doubted the sincerity of Ben's words as they were just that: words spoken by a former dark sider. Rey had learned the importance of versatility and independence from the 14 years she spent fending for herself. Relying on Luke's nephew for confidence was a surefire way to an early grave. Rey chose to not dwell on her past because growing up alone on a remote planet riddled with unsavory characters and swaths of fragmented sand stone was not the way she would have chosen to age.

She was little more than an afterthought to those who dumped her. No one approached the little girl as she stumbled through the wasteland with no direction or clue as to what she would do to survive.

The first year she subsisted on boiled sand and womprat fat. She would stay up for hours to catch the womprats and procure the more substantial muscle and meat but the indigenous fauna had other plans and she never escaped with nothing less than bloody scratch marks.

Thankfully she was smart enough to lift her eyes up from her brooding and she watched several scavengers return from their missions with speeder's teeming with random wires and masses of sheet metal and droid parts. Rey decided that her stomach growling was something she could control so she marched up to the scavengers and learned the lay of the land. That day changed her life.

And once again her life had been changed, but this time not for the better. And she had blood on her hands. The rush of adrenaline that surged through Rey's veins when the Mandalorians' fell down like a Pazaak deck. Rey had given into a primal urge to kill and maim. The suffering she was able to inflict as the Mandalorians' lungs were punctured with pillars of ice and as they froze to death was music to her ears. And Rey hated that. She had worked so hard to survive but also maintain her morality and she was weak enough to become a senseless machine when she heard something that she didn't like.

She was the direct descendant of Emperor Palpatine, and within seconds of that discovery she earned the name. She hadn't known that the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance were real; to her they were myths. Now she could no longer deny that history had taken its course as she was living proof that Darth Sidious lived and breathed as she did because she carried a piece of him in every day she carried on. Not only was she an abomination she had been lied to her entire life.

Luke had been her care taker at 5 years old and then when she posed too much of a problem he left her to die. And then he had the audacity to criticize her every decision and motive. She was a game piece for Luke, he withheld her family name and instead of helping her in overcoming the Dark Side and learning to deal with adversity. He erased her memories and forced her to build from the ground up. She loathed the hurt he had caused and she would be his puppet no more. He had friends among the Resistance and owed it to Leia to aid her in whatever way necessary but after this she was leaving to find out who she really was, everyone else be damned.

———

Luke wouldn't leave the cockpit for even a moment as time was of the essence.

He had never been face to face with the Supreme Leader and he was under the impression that he would be spared the experience but it seemed the Force had other plans. It had been years since had flown a vessel and racing into danger in the Falcon without Han at his side and reminding him not to get cocky Luke grieved for a time long ago.

They burst out of light speed with a rattling jolt and Luke fell from the chair he had been occupying. Luke made a note to work on his dismount when he got to his feet he was greeted by one of the most brutal dog fights he had ever seen. The only other time that he had been in the midst of such a battle was when he watched his friends fighting for their lives before the Second Death Star.

He had been helpless to prevent any loss of life but now he had the freedom to choose his actions. Knowing his sister she would prefer to be in her own X wing blasting the First Order into smithereens but the rational side would always win out so she was on the planet below protecting the base and coordinating he battle. And D'Qar was dead ahead. Fortunately, Chewbacca had retained his space faring skills and got them through the Fire fight with only a few carbon score marks. They breached the atmosphere with minimal turbulence.

Luke tried his best to speed up their arrival by applying telekinetic force to the back of the freighter. Rings of flame and energy became visible in the viewport as the Millennium Falcon endured significant entry friction and air resistance. Chewbacca ordered Artoo to check the most vital systems and to ensure they were working properly and hadn't been fried. Luke formulated a plan to meet up with his sister and then form a defensive strategy with any and all Resistance officers nearby to ward off Snoke.

Luke assisted in the precarious landing but attributed the success to Chewbacca alone. The pair locked eyes and an unspoken truce to protect Leia at all costs was made. Chewbacca let out a throaty and menacing roar as he lifted his bow caster and thrust it into the air in a Wookie battle cry and ritual of victory. Luke unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and placed it in his dominant hand.

It had been years since he had actively participated in a hand to hand engagement but now was the time to see if he still had what it takes. R2 rolled in and raised his buzz saw and electric pike to proclaim his own intent to battle. With his companions resolute in their participation the crew bolted from the ship and ran in pursuit of General Leia.

Luke used Force Sense to locate his twin sister and he found her within the catacombs of the base monitoring the above space battle with ample concentration. Once she detected her brother's force signature she abandoned her task and embraced Luke. A few tears were shed and she smacked him slightly for having been gone so long.

"I am beyond relieved that you came. Knowing the legendary Luke Skywalker is here to fight alongside us will hopefully rally the troops. We are taking heavy damage and the casualty rate is sky high. We have forced into a corner and are now just trying to stay alive. The possibility of pressing an advantage and taking the offensive is just ridiculous. Maybe with your experience as a pilot you can help devise a sounder strategy."

Luke felt insecurity flood his stomach with a slippery serpent of doubt but he shoved those reservations away.

"Alright lets see what we can do. First tell you fighters to regroup. Have them stay alert but order them to not pursue any direct engagements. If possible conserve any remaining torpedoes or missiles and concentrate them at the Super Star Destroyers. Their laser cannons should be enough to defeat the Tie Fighters. Instruct them to fly in a V shape to make sure that no one gets left behind and that there is a 360-degree view of their surroundings."

An ensign approached as Luke and Leia began to think of misdirection strikes.

"General Leia, Supreme Leader Snoke has entered the stratosphere he is coming directly at us. His estimated arrival time is 10 minutes. Will we evacuate?"  
Leia stood in silence as she pondered her options.

"Sound the alarm, any soldiers who wish to leave for safety are welcome to and will not be judged, but those who choose to remain here will assist us in battle against that monstrosity. Chewie, you ready for some action?"

Chewbacca roared a positive response and the group readied themselves for the fight of their lives.

———

Rey and Ben had a landing that was definitely unfavorable as they were literally shot out of the sky like hunted Mynock and they spun and flipped uncontrollably as they rapidly fell to the planet surface. Rey truly thought of D'Qar as a serene and beautiful planet and she had looked forward to coming back, but the circumstances of potential death soured the experience.

She had entered into a fugue state while resting in the bunk when the shaking of the ship and the impact of the missile snapped her back to reality. Rey sprinted to the cockpit and saw Ben trying to salvage the situation by a futile attempt to keep them airborne. "Ben what in the blazes are you doing? We are going down. Our engines are fired we need to eject now."

Ben didn't acknowledge Rey's command as he worked even harder to try to save the ship.

"Ben we need to go now."

The authority in Rey's tone informed him that his pride was not the thing at stake now and trying to save a ship that was a lost cause was a dumb idea. Living seemed more attractive. He gathered Rey in a vice grip as they headed to the area of the ship equipped with safety chairs and attached parachutes. The top of the vessel split open and they rose from the ship just in time as it intersected with the ground and met its incendiary end.

"See what did I tell you? Living is definitely not overrated."

Ben rolled his eyes, "Save it smart ass, you know you are right gloating is unbecoming of one so beautiful."

Rey felt like she was run over by an AT-AT as Ben referred to her as attractive. She was not experiencing an absolutely adverse reaction which she deemed to be progress. But with her life in shambles and gambling that they might not live through the next hour, she held her tongue.

The pair landed a few feet apart from each other as they tumbled and rolled violently along the hard ground. Dazed but steady Ben and Rey wasted no time in heading for the base. Ben ditched the rifle a while back which he now registered to be a mistake as he was charging head first into a fire fight without even the smallest weapon to defend himself with.

Ben did what he could as he erected Force Barriers along the silhouette of himself and Rey and trusted her to deflect any blaster bolts that came from the squadron of Stormtroopers that had emerged from the First Order landing shuttle. Ben kept the shields up with as much concentration as possible as both him and Rey realized just who was on that ship.

Not only had his cousin survived, but she was flanked by his former master and she was radiating hatred.

"Rey, new plan. Run like hell. I am sure mother and Luke are close by."

Guided by nothing but blind intuition they hurried into the complex and ducked as they narrowly avoided a grenade launched at their heads. Rey and Ben both augmented their speed with the Force and after several unsuccessful arrivals at empty barracks and recreation rooms they stumbled upon the command center. Rey kept on running until she grew very close to the awaiting group.

Ben on the other hand was relegated to standing and staring. Rey turned back, "You idiot, why are you not moving? Snoke and Padmé will be here any minute. Grab a blaster and pull yourself together Ben."

———

Leia was startled at the utterance of her estranged son's name and she too remained rooted to the floor as her child hesitantly edged forward. When he was within arms reach the first thing she did was deck him directly in the face. "How dare you show your face here after what you have done? I should have you executed."

Ben lowered his gaze, "There really are no words to convey my regret. Your anger is understandable and I promise to work every day to make it up to you. I have found it within my to finally leave Snoke and the Dark Side behind. Maybe in time I can become the son that I was once and earn your forgiveness, but I do not expect any such courtesy. I just wanted to come home."

Leia took a step forward and Ben stood defiantly ready to take another blow when he felt his short mother hug him fiercely. He held on so tight as to never let go.

In a raspy and almost inaudible voice Leia stated, "Welcome back. Its been too long."

Rey approached Luke not out of concern or friendship but out of necessity. "Luke your daughter is now the apprentice of Snoke. She has come here to destroy us all. I don't know if I can ever look at you the same way as now I am aware at how you manipulated and used me, but that is a matter for another time, right now we fight."

Rey emphasized the last words with a gleeful lilt. Luke didn't fail to notice the joyful note in Rey's statement and he truly wondered what she had learned. There was one thing that Luke knew for sure and it was that he would help his daughter for once and bring her back from the Dark Side. If Ben could come back to the Light then so could Padmé.

An officer offered Ben a rifle and showed him how to fire as it was a model that Ben was unfamiliar with. Leia gazed in confusion, "What happened to your lightsaber?"

"Long story short it got destroyed. Too many horrendous deeds were committed with that weapon. Keeping it would be a constant anchor back to my past and malevolent side, and I cannot have that in my life."

Leia smiled and nodded in understanding. She was beyond words ecstatic that her son was finally back.

The last few moments of tranquility were smashed as Snoke and Padmé appeared with a force of troopers. Without as much as a single remark Padmé sent a torrent of lightning to Leia, Rey and R2 while Snoke withdrew an amethyst blade from the depths of his cloak and he effortlessly sent it flying in the direction of Ben. The fight had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was another super long chapter so more could happen. I could have been lazy and left out the transition scenes but they can have awesome value so I decided to persevere. I decided to be subtler on the romantic aspects and that will be explored much more in the sequel. There were some moments but its all about the foundation and having them reconnect and bond. Reylo for life! Up Next: The final chapter, one falls completely and the other rises absolutely, Leia and Luke are an awesome fighting team, Snoke goes nuts and the story will draw to a close. Thanks! :)


	9. Reversal and Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is guys thank you for taking the time to read this. My song reccoomendations are "Thinking out Loud" by Ed Sheeran, "My Love" by Sia and "Anthem of the Angels" by Breaking Benjamin."

Rey lunged before Ben who was in the beginning stages of dropping to the floor and a blistering turquoise blade luckily knocked the purple saber off its course. She rapidly bent down and lifted Ben from off the floor. You ok?

Thanks to you I am more than I ever thought possible. I have my life back, I am definitely more than ok.

Watch out to your left here comes Padmé.

Rey accessed the reserves of adrenaline that comprised her connection to the Force and shot herself in the air and twisted over Padmé's shape.

The single recognizable emotion defining Padmé's psyche was an unfathomable needle of odium that periodically infused her supply with additional animosity, it was like a UV carrying embers. Nevertheless, Padmé kept her hatred in check and exploited it in a beneficial fashion as message of discipline as opposed to igniting a reckless onslaught.

The amputation of Padmé's last arm of flesh seared into her cognitive chamber the imperative of control and the danger of forgetting skill and strategy. Anticipating Rey's escape she pivoted and swept her auburn light saber to ward off the incoming attack of the woman behind her.

"I see you still insist on claiming the ownership of that weapon. But I have some news, that's not how inheritance works. You are desperately trying to fool yourself into believing that you are a member of this family, but everyone else knows you for what you truly are, a demon. You are not a Skywalker or a Solo. Embrace it honey, you were born to be bad. I think now is the perfect time for me to earn back that blade."

Rey devised a barrier between herself and any verbal attacks, she had failed once in letting Padmé the upper hand but she knew better than to make the same mistake in rapid succession. Judgment could be the deciding factor in who loved to tell the tale of this day.

"You sure talk a lot but you really have nothing interesting to say."

Rey prayed that Padmé would rise to the occasion and take the bait.

The female Skywalker only supplemented her want to reach victory with the quick quips and jabs that Rey would obviously throw at her. A practitioner of a sophisticated offensive style did not mean that Padmé permitted her defensive ability to atrophy.

Rey raised the lightsaber in an arc and slammed down. Padmé narrowly avoided the Djem So execution and flipped at an angle to further avoid another jab. Padmé orchestrated a ball of concussive potential and sent a Force Repulse out at all angles. The only ones able to withstand the blunt collision were Snoke and her father.

Padmé enhanced her speed and flew at Rey's crumpled form and jettisoned even faster. She twirled her lightsaber into a reverse grip Shien posture and stabbed through the intermediary air with deft precision and it halted centimeters from Rey's chest. She caught the lightsaber in the palm of her hand. Rey clenched her hand into a fist as it moved through the energy beam as if it were nothing but a nuisance and squeezed with the circumference of its circular silhouette and the lightsaber extinguished.

Padmé hurriedly pirouetted from the domain of her father's former saber and repeatedly disturbed the ignition switch from its stationary position but the only indication of the lightsaber cooperating were various crimson and amber pockets of plasma that bounced excitedly from the tip of the hilt. In an act of desperation, she psychically set fire to Rey's garments.

Her adversary was preoccupied with smothering the rambunctious chains of flame and Padmé finally activated the weapon. The tether that linked Rey to her human side was shredded to pieces.

No longer was she just vying for disarming and incapacitating Luke's daughter the only outcome that would sate her bloodlust was another kill. She surged towards Padmé and best down with pure brute strength. Padmé began the fight with utter confidence but was drained of that reassurance in record time. Due to her the rigorous education in combat and years of physical engagements Padmé grew to be a prolific fighter.

Rey outclassed her in raw Force potential, but she was the refined and tactful duelist of the pair. If she capitalized on her marital superiority she could quite possibly come out on top. She feigned a lapse in balance and exploited Rey's shift in weight as she advanced to strike Padmé and twisted the lightsaber to be on level with Rey. 

The crimson blade crossed paths with Rey's non-dominant arm and pushed her blade to push through the shabby forearm gauntlets and lacerate the ligaments and tissue that connected to Rey's bicep.

Rey cried out in pain and Padmé scored another sizeable but shallow swipe that cauterized quicker than she expected. Rey failed to even relay a registration of hurt on her face and only continued on fighting.

"You are tough, but it is of little consequence."

Unnervingly, Rey refused to dignify the statement with a verbal response which worried Padmé as it proved that her Dun Möch methods had lost their effectiveness. Padmé made to exact another strike and Rey redirected it to the floor letting loose a battalion sparks.

Rey telekinetically thrust the embers to Padmé's face and watched with sinister glee as her enemy was caught off guard. Working through the parade of singe marks left by the enthralled sparks Padmé managed to maintain her bodily integrity by countering all of Rey's strikes.

"My father abandoned you. Try as hard as you will, but it is impossible to run from your past. There is something carnal within you and it reared its ugly head on Naboo. Those Mandalorians were fathers, wives and mothers. They were some of my best friends and you bathed in their blood. I overestimated myself and I let them down, but now I can deliver your skull as tribute but it will never be enough."

"I did nothing of the sort. You are the one responsible for the fact that their families will never see them again. You led them into what they thought would be an easy job but I sense you didn't alert them of just what their target was capable of. Sweetheart you are just as bad as me. I may have been the butcher but you were the customer."

Rey's words resonated in Padmé's mind and she stumbled backward as she relived the screams of fading life and the grotesque squish of her comrade's bodies studded with ice and sleet. She foolishly dropped her lightsaber and slipped to her knees. Their names and faces spun like a revolving door, each vertical plane of durasteel carried the livelihood of every soldier killed.

Minute crunches surrounded her extremities, abdomen, diaphragm and head and grew in momentum fast. She mistakenly thought that they were the spirits of her fallen friends slowly using their incorporeal fingers and hands to avenge themselves by attack her and she surrendered to their mercy. In actuality Rey implemented an invisible clamp to fracture any piece of carbon quartz it came into contact with. Rey indulged in an an inhuman laugh as she delightedly broke every bone in Padmé's body.

With a jerk of her hand Rey forced Padmé to her knees and Padmé began to collapse into herself as her ribs snapped and her spine caved in. Padmé swore to herself that she would never supplicate anyone to be her hero but for the sake of living she did the unthinkable, she asked her father for help.

"Father help me."

A whisper of a time gone by when Luke had been captured in a net of electricity on the Second Death Star, so she called out for her father to help save her from the razor barbs of the torrential lightning. His child was now in the same position. He whipped around and beheld Rey's first voluntary steps down the Dark path.

———

Ben was a pariah and he had learned to embrace his role of solitary. The only other student that wasn't too afraid to converse with him was a four-year-old girl who sported a ridiculous hair style of three buns on the back of her head. It reminded him of his mother's rather outrageous arrangements of her hair and he took pity on the child. He would later know that he had found someone or more accurately he had been found by a true friend.

The night of the Cleansing, Ben had retreated to his personal quarters and meditated in front of a holocron as the teachings of the Sith wafted into his soul and mind through osmosis. His conversion was nigh complete as he had humbled himself to be an apprentice once more, but this time to a greater teacher. The pyramid glistened and radiated with photons of ruby. Every wall was bathed in a film of scarlet that shifted to the rhythm of the Lord's voice. Ben had steeled himself on this path and it was the time to display what he had learned. Before he could deactivate the holocron a little head popped into his room and childishly asked, "Is that a nightlight? You are almost 16 Ben, I don't even need a nightlight."

"No Rey it is not a nightlight. I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"You have but that doesn't mean I have to listen."

Ben blasted up from the metal floor and turned his lightsaber on. He pointed it at Rey and she jumped in fright. The staff of unruly red plasma was unlike anything any of the students had seen before. They were warned of the evil associated with a ruby blade and it meant only one thing: Ben was had fallen to the Dark side.

"I thought you were my friend Ben."

"Rey I am going to tell you one more time, go away."

"But I thought…"

"Leave now!" The room reverberated in a slight Force Quake as Ben lashed out. Rey remained steadfast and she even seemed ready to hurl an insult. Ben became jumpy and his unsteady grip allowed the blade to waver and it clipped Rey on the shoulder. She yelped. The one person she had really grown to trust at the Academy had now hurt her.

Rey locked eyes with Ben one more time and Ben knew that he had made a mistake beyond repair. Rey split from the room and that was the last time that Ben would ever see his only friend.

———

Luke and Leia had formed a circle back to back. Luke employed his clover colored blade to deflect blaster bolts and protect himself from Snoke's own blade. Leia fervently dodged and ducked out of the way of Stormtroopers and she obtained a rifle from the corpse of a recently dispatched trooper. Thanks to her dexterity Leia was able to operate a rifle in one hand and a hold out blaster in the other.

When the situation demanded it the General kicked the Stormtroopers down and then took the initiative to keep them permanently that way with a well aimed shot. If a Stormtrooper penetrated the boundaries of her range firing ability she would bludgeon them in the back and head with the rifles and attack with retractable blade that rest on the top of her pistol.

Chewbacca and R2 fought with much valor and they held their own. R2 was relentless in shocking the living daylights of the Stormtroopers and Chewbacca had already set a new record with the amount of Stormtroopers he had taken down. They were all that was left of the old clue in the terms of not being part of the biological family so they vowed to stay together always.

Snoke was immensely capable with a lightsaber and Luke was constantly calculating knew modes of combat when Snoke proved that he had divined the information from the Force a few seconds before the notion even took root in Luke's mind. Snoke was a specialist in Juyo. Luke just barely depended on his competency on Soresu to contend with Snoke's thrusts and sweeps.

In need of a reprieve Luke tried to extricate Snoke from his immediate vicinity via a Force Wave but Snoke just jammed his lightsaber into the floor and employed it as an anchor to remaining upright and in control of his anatomical faculties. This back and forth lasted for several minutes. Luke had just maneuvered Snoke's lightsaber from his possession when a telepathic cry translated into tangible dialogue. Snoke could wait, but his daughter could not. Luke entered into a catatonic state as he saw Rey's formerly kind and bubbly demeanor become one of nightmares. He had been afraid of such a thing happening but he had interpreted the situation as positive.

He perceived himself able to encourage the benevolent portion of Rey's essence and he thought he had prevailed but he was once again wrong. Although giving up would have been the option of least resistance it was never to late to appeal to one's humanity as his father had shown him.

"Rey. Please release my daughter. This is not you."

Rey telekinetically flung his broken daughter several feet away into a mangled heap.

"Luke you of all people know that this was supposed to happen. I know about my heritage."

"Rey and it is just that heritage, it means nothing about you. You are Good."

"Save it. No proverbs or meditation or happy thoughts will change the fact that I am a child of the Dark side. You advocate for forgiveness and acceptance when you erased my memory, never thought to tell me where or who my family is and you left me like garbage on a desert planet."

"Rey I cannot begin to ask for forgiveness but this isn't the way."

"Way to what? Happiness? Security? The light? None of which you have ever even tried to give me. When I made that trek weeks ago to seek out the prodigal Luke Skywalker I was misinformed as to who you are. I should have rammed this blade through your heart."

———

Snoke had gotten his saber back and was closing in on Ben Solo when he finally heard the words he had been waiting for. Rey had come to find the Dark Side for herself and she recovered her senses from the illusion that forever shrouds the Skywalker line in fallacies. Now was the time to bring her to the fold.

"Enough!" Snoke bellowed. Everyone present save Luke were then caught in a Static Barrier as any movement was made impossible.

"Rey, daughter of Palpatine. I believe now is the time for proper introductions. I am Snoke, a former pupil of your great grandfather and I am to remain in his debt for eternity. My humble attempt at returning the favor has now begun. You have the potential to annihilate all adversity, expunge the Skywalker clan, and conquer the cosmos. Are you ready to make these things happen?"

Rey couldn't contain Luke in an entire hold but she was capable enough to impede the acceleration of his advance. She tested the prospect of Snoke's proposal in her mind like searching for the ideal side of a dice. Like Dejarik, this could be fun.

"What have I got to lose? I am in."

Snoke nodded in satisfaction and decided to assist his new charge in what she desired to accomplish.

Snoke casually transformed his Force energies into a veil of obsidian. The shadow immediately held Luke down like chains and he was brought to his hands and knees. His lightsaber had been removed by Rey as she combusted the weapon and it exploded into atoms.

"Watch Luke Skywalker as your greatest failure becomes the Galaxy's greatest victory. Let the Imperial Dynasty reclaim its rightful place."

Rey elevated the turquoise lightsaber above her head in a posture almost akin to a devoted priest thanking its patron and she began to bring down the blade.

"Rey no, don't do this. Fight it. Fight for us, fight for you fight for me. I lost you once due to my selfishness and you were kind enough to not give up on me. I cannot give up on you. Please give me the lightsaber."

———

Ben extended his hand but unlike that night where he threatened Rey with his sword of laser he was asking to receive a beacon of Good.

Rey paused and genuinely listened to Ben. Something within her stirred as her full history with Ben played out. The tapestry of her life was now complete as the damaged threads had been repaired with meeting Ben once again.

They started out as the unlikeliest of a pair, partners in crime, she was his sidekick and he begrudgingly accepted that she would never leave him, then they became more than strangers separated by years apart and the vastly different quality of their lives, and now they were partners who worked well together and knew each other deeply. A glimpse of something else more terrifying then she could ever imagine took shape. A future where they were lovers, and nothing could stand in their way. But who was she to deserve love?

"My answer is no. I truly am sorry."

"NO!" Ben overpowered Rey's vice grip on the Skywalker heirloom and it teleported into the hands of its new owner. It was up to him now to protect those he loved.

The roles had reversed. The messiah degenerated into the villain, and the villain ascended to the station of messiah. It became quite apparent that love and the force knew no bounds when it came to them.

———

Somewhere on some world light years away, in the shade of a marble moon gently caressing the contours of the vast landscape of night someone long ago left behind stirred.

Equilibrium had once again been foiled. It rang true that history repeated itself and a burgeoning entity awoke but it was feasible that this generation could make the fateful change. Ben Solo and Rey, along with a select few were destined to bring the Galaxy into a new age.

But the question at hand was which side, if any would rule? The Dark or the Light?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it is finished. I am so happy to be able to press that 'Complete' button. My first multichapter fic- its one for the books. There have been no reviews in a year so hopefully more will come, but if not I am just happy people are seeing this and I know that I had the strength and determination to spend so many hours writing. There are several allusions to other media culture and Star Wars Episodes so see if you can find all of them. I as always hope that this does not suck. This has been quite a ride. Regarding Ben and Rey. THEY ARE NOT RELATED AT ALL NOR DID BEN OR REY HAVE ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER WHEN REY WAS A 6 YEAR OLD. I just wanted to make that clear that it could grow into something more but it needs more time. I hope the new owner with the lightsaber thing is not too much like Harry Potter but it was important to show that Ben has reclaimed his place in the Skywalker family. Padmé is a few months older than Ben. She is 31 at the time of this story and Ben is 30. Rey will turn 20 a few months after the time of this story. There will be more information revealed on Rey's family and we will learn who her parents are in the Sequel will be called, "Love and the Force are the Ties that Bind."


End file.
